Saxophonist/flautist Pat Mallinger is a popular fixture at such Chicago venues as Andy’s and the Green Mill. Previous recordings include the highly regarded Monday Prayer to Tunkashila (1995) and Moorean Moon (2005, recorded live at the 2000 North Sea Jazz Festival), both on BlueJack, and his 2008 Delmark release with his two-sax Sabertooth ensemble, Dr. Midnight. Pat first met pianist Dan Trudell at North Texas State, learning that they were born within a day of each other, so perhaps it was not unexpected that they would become musical soulmates. For years Trudell played keyboards in Sabertooth, and finally these two friends have taken their conversation into the studio. 

Recorded in August 2009, Dragon Fish brings the listener into the this conversation, which glows among the best of sax/piano dialogues, and highlights not only Mallinger’s versatility on tenor, alto, soprano and flute but his compositional eclecticism as well (eight tracks are from Mallinger, and two from the collaboration with Trudell). They start off in high gear with the fast-paced “CPW,” Pat’s reinvention of Coltrane’s “Central Park West,” both musicians dazzling in turn.  “Just Give It a Chance” has an engaging melody on which Pat, then Dan, build an eloquent network of musical ideas threaded together by their rich harmonies. Pat’s “Hills Over Tuscany” was inspired by a band engagement in Italy; the elegance of the piano/flute partnership that opens the track suggest another direction for a future recording. 

The title track not only reflects the duo’s telepathic interplay but takes listeners on some intriguing travels with Dan Trudell, who offers some wide-ranging rhythmic shifts and unexpected voicings. The pair’s “Diffuse” finds Pat lofting spirals of mournful calls on soprano, while Dan’s complex and exhilarating piano keep the musical ball in the air. “Camp Dan” honors Dan’s Wisconsin home, an assertive composition that gives both musicians space to explore.  “Dear James” is Pat’s beautiful tenor tribute to college pal/bari player, the late James Farnsworth. The duo shift gears on “Pigeon Peas,” an upbeat, bouncy swirl inspired by Pat’s trip to Puerto Rico. Collaborating again on “Adventures,” Mallinger and Trudell take us on a journey that mines the sonic possibilities of each instrument. 

“Madeleine’s Lullaby” provides a sweet closing that Pat wrote for his daughter, his melody given shape and shimmer by Dan’s delicate comping and luxurious solo. 

Duo recordings, when done well, offer a combination of intimacy and engaging conversation—the listener becomes part of the dialogue rather than merely a voyeur. Pat Mallinger and Dan Trudell manage to maintain the intimacy of interaction among dear friends while inviting us to feel that warmth and absorb every note. 

Dragon Fish is available from Chicago Sessions at www.chicagosessions.com.  

With a graduate degree in Jazz Pedagogy and Performance from the University of Colorado, saxophonist/flautist Tia Fuller was armed and ready to make her mark in jazz, and seemed to be on target with her 2005 debut recording, Pillar of Strength (Wambui). On a lark, she tried out for a spot in Beyonce’s band, and has been on tour with the R&B star for much of the past four years. She’s managed to keep her jazz chops sharp with gigs with the likes of Ralph Peterson, T.S. Monk, and Sean Jones, as well as another recording with her own band, Healing Space (2007, Mack Avenue). This week, Tia releases Decisive Steps, the title aptly suggesting that she is moving “decisively” along the path of her muses, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Earl Bostic. 

The core of Fuller’s band are long-time cohorts, sister Shamie Royston on piano, Miriam Sullivan on bass and Kim Richmond on drums, with special guests, trumpeter Sean Jones, bassist Christian McBride, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, and tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. Drawing influences from jazz, blues and gospel, Decisive Steps includes six compositions from the leader, one from sister Shamie Royston, one from brother-in-law Rudy Royston, and 2 covers. 

The leader’s title track launches the album with confidence and heat as Tia’s alto blazes from top to bottom and Richmond’s percussion offers fierce propulsion. Sullivan stokes the fire without pause and Royston offers an impressive solo. From this crackling beginning, the quartet adds Sean Jones’ voice to Shamie’s “Windsoar,” with the trumpeter offering an initially gentle response to Tia’s fireworks before rising to the top. It’s a double bass fantasy on Tia’s “Ebb and Flow” as Christian McBride’s electric bass pairs with Sullivan on acoustic, and, with Shamie on Rhodes, there’s a funky sway that “ebbs and flows” with Fuller and Jones riding the waves. 

“I Can’t Get Started” actually starts out beautifully with a prologue from Tia before she’s joined (only) by Warren Wolf on vibes and McBride on acoustic bass, the latter offering a melodic and acrobatic solo that leads into Wolf’s elegant segment. Tia returns with her own eloquent closing. Tia’s “Kissed by the Sun” has a tropical undertow thanks to the bossa-like drive of the rhythm section and lush harmonies from Fuller and Jones. “Steppin’” is a brief 30-second interlude featuring the tapping feet of Maurice Chestnut, followed by Tia’s spiraling phrases on “Shades of McBride”, a reworking of the bassist’s “Shade of the Cedar Tree” that also features some sparkling twists from Wolf. The young vibes master adds further luster to Tia’s “Clear Mind,” while bassist Sullivan adds exquisite statements of her own, as she does again on the following “Night Glow,” penned by Rudy Royston. 

Arlen/Mercer’s “My Shining Hour” closes a very satisfying set with a caustic display from Richmond and generally high-flying artistry from the full quartet. With or without the security of Beyonce, Decisive Steps is Fuller’s “Shining Hour” and, no doubt, there are many more to come.