One of the more interesting duos in modern jazz, guitarist Jim Hall and pianist Geoffrey Keezer will be recording live for MaxJazz at New York City's Birdland, June 8-14. In some ways this is an unlikely combination, with the typically cool and mellow septuagenarian Hall on the stand with a highly creative, unbridled thirty-something improviser. Yet they have appeared together before, at the Village Vanguard when a very young Keezer was one of the pianists appearing on Hall’s 1997 recording, Panorama: Live at the Village Vanguard (Telarc). They have been refining their collaboration over the past year, appearing in duo at the Village Vanguard last October where I had the opportunity to catch the last of the three-night stand. (For a full review of the October set, click here)

Known for his cool tone and subtle artistry, guitarist Jim Hall has inspired several generations of jazz guitarists. After attending the Cleveland Institute of Music and studying classical guitar in Los Angeles, he joined the original Chico Hamilton Quintet (1955-1956) and later the Jimmy Giuffre Three. Hall next toured with Ella Fitzgerald (1960-1961) and played in duos with Lee Konitz before joining the famous Sonny Rollins Quartet of 1961-1962 (The Bridge). During this time he also worked with Art Farmer and Paul Desmond, and became a New York studio musician. He established his reputation as a composer/arranger as well as performer, and in 1997 won the New York Jazz Critics Circle Award for Best Jazz Composer/Arranger. He has also won the Danish JazzPar Prize and, in 2004, was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship. In addition to his many recordings as a leader, Hall is no stranger to the duo concept. He recorded two classic duo albums with Bill Evans, partnered with bassist Ron Carter, and later released a highly acclaimed self-titled recording of guitar duets with Pat Metheny in 1999.

At only 34, Geoffrey Keezer has already amassed a stunning discography and long list of credits as a sideman and leader, rightfully earning him virtuoso status among jazz pianists of his or any other generation. He began his piano studies at the tender age of three; in his teens, he began to immerse himself in jazz, winning a high school competition to attend the 1987 NAJE Jazz Convention in Atlanta, where he earned the NAJE Young Talent Award and first caught the eye of the late master pianist, James Williams. By 18 he had released two recordings, and became Art Blakey’s last pianist. A string of acclaimed recordings as a leader followed in short order, and over time, he has played and recorded as sideman with a Who’s Who in Jazz-- Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Gerry Mulligan, Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, George Coleman, Bobby Watson, Stefon Harris, and The Mingus Dynasty, among others. Keezer also was a charter member of the Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, a piano quintet that featured James Williams, Mulgrew Miller, Harold Mabern, and Donald Brown.

At the Vanguard in October, Keezer and Hall approached the music in ways that reflected both generational and stylistic differences, with Hall taking a more straight-forward path while Keezer’s was more abstract and experimental. At times the combination blended as surely as yellow and blue make green, as on the exquisitely conceived “End the Beguine”; at other times the mix was more yin and yang, as “My Funny Valentine” where Hall’s melodic single lines seemed to pale when challenged by Keezer’s deconstruction. Yet, even when the two musicians seemed at cross purposes, they always managed to find a resolution, making for a most interesting evening.

Throughout the set, Hall’s penchant for matching wits with bassists (see his recordings with Ron Carter) was reflected in the arrangements, where Keezer often filled the bassist’s role with his left hand vamps or traded off bass and treble with Hall. And, his magnificent duets with Bill Evans notwithstanding, Hall seems less challenged to open up in the company of a pianist. In an interview for String Jazz (January, 1996), Hall noted, “I like a piano-less trio actually, because that gives me a lot more leeway with chords and stuff. I play more of the guitar that way. If I'm working with piano, a lot of the time I just stand by and grin!” Not exactly standing by at the Vanguard, Hall nevertheless was grinning throughout the set, perhaps in recognition of the monster talent on the piano bench, and perhaps in recognition of the many bright moments the two shared this evening.

Of the upcoming Birdland recording sessions (June 8-14), Keezer noted, “I love playing duo with Jim - it's an exercise in total freedom and intense communication. In many ways I feel that all of my musical training, on and off the bandstand, has prepared me for collaborations like this.”

For ticket information, visit www.birdlandjazz.com