Caroline Davis & Wendy Eisenberg - Accept When LP

After Wendy Eisenberg’s ‘Viewfinder’ blew me away the other month, I figured it was time to check out her duo record with sax player Caroline Davis  that came out a couple of years ago on Astral Spirits.

Much like Eisenberg’s most recent record, Accept When walks the line between post-rock and contemporary jazz. These are songs per se, with both musicians sharing vocal duties, but with nods towards traditions of improvisation and extended playing techniques, all recorded incredibly clearly.

The liner notes mention that this record emerged from a close friendship and a period of time improvising together in a rehearsal room and you can almost hear it in the playing. There’s both a close, conversational mode of playing between the two (I feel dumb comparing Eisenberg’s music to Ornette Coleman’s yet again, but part’s really do remind me of his runs with Don Cherry on The Shape Of Jazz To Come) but also with enough space to let each other’s playing shine through.
-Mitch