Big Two

Tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh and bassist Red Mitchell were true soul brothers who played together intermittently during a friendship that survived nearly 40 years and was broken only by the sudden and tragic death of Warne in December, 1987. Now Red has gone too, and their remarkable musical association which flowered late in their lives is no more. But it survives in the memories of all who heard them play together and lives on through the outstanding recordings they made in 1980. The pair waited most of their careers to become a mature duo, sufficient unto themselves and their audiences, really catching fire at an engagement at Stockholm’s Fasching Club in April 1980. This first volume of performances from that gig, which yielded music of high quality, is comprised of previously unissued material. It stands as a fitting memorial to the integrity and splendid musicianship of these markedly individual voices shaped during the infancy of modern jazz.