Mister Tucker Reviews: Carbe & Durand - A Bridge Between

The following music review comes courtesy of friend and writer Marc S. Tucker, carried over from his newsletter VERITAS VAMPIRUS and is NOT of my doing despite being featured on my blog - please keep this fact firmly in mind for future reference.

CARBE & DURAND - A Bridge Between
(Strangetree Productions)
Review written by Marc Tucker - 04/27/2016

Liza Carbe looks like a cross between Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, and Maria Muldaur while JP Durand reminds me of James Musser (Underwater Traffic), but their CD isn't like any of those musicians' work, instead an almost classical affair…but with a difference: as far as I know, no classical recitations ever featured tracks by Ozzy Osbourne ("Crazy Train"), Tears for Fears ("Everybody Wants to Rule the World" [not me!]), the Stones ("Paint It Black"), and many others - Sting, Mason Williams, Jimmy Webb, etc. - as well as three cuts of their own crafting.

If you're familiar with the World fusion band Incendio, an top-caliber ensemble on a level with Ancient Future, not to mention a concert dynamo boasting a string of best-selling albums, then you already have a clue, as that's where Carbe & Durand hail from. Add to that the fact that Liza is a student of Jorge Strunz, one of two blindingly brilliant guitarists composing the untouchably virtuosic Strunz & Farah, and the icing goes straight on top of the luminescent cake. I more than once, however, was reminded of Peter Kraus and Mark Byrd and their Satie for Two Guitars (good luck trying to find that one!), a particularly cherished piece in my huge collection. Carbe and Durand are meticulous in their labors, intimate in their leads and comping. 

More than that, the two produced, recorded, and mixed the affair, catching every note and chord in full in a warm atmosphere making one feel as though listening right there in the studio. Do not for a moment, however, imagine any hint of metal or pop-charting here despite the eclectic selections, just heavily Spanish-inflected instrumentals that'd sit well amidst a high society soiree…if, that is, the attending bourgeoisie was hip, well read in modern rock, and would not be put off by such whirlwind treatments as "Paint It Black", cravats, spats, and lace catching fire. Likewise, don't let A Bridge Between near the louts who frequent bars and know the tunes from jukeboxes; you'll just wind up gritting your teeth and dumping saltpeter in their drinks. No, invite only sophisticated intimates and have a bottle of chardonnay to hand when you do. Better yet, two or three bottles, and put on some Yepes, some Tarrega, and the aforementioned Strunz & Farah on afterwards. Summer's coming, time to start getting used to hedonism again.

RELATED LINK: Carbé and Durand Official Website