Evening With

This 1978 duet concert testifies to a remarkable empathy, along with the polish that each brings to any venture. Their two grand pianos seldom collide as they dovetail and overlay runs, rhythms, and chords, clearly enjoying the challenge and creating tremendous energy in the process. "Someday" inevitably invokes Miles, while the chromatic fantasia on Gershwin's "Liza," complete with stride, suggests populist roots in Rhapsody in Blue. "Button Up," an extended improvisation, is a highlight, including rhythmic dialogue between hand-muted strings, while "February Moment" is a relatively rare Hancock foray into solo piano. The most remarkable playing, though, is saved for the end: segued performances of hits--Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" and Corea's "La Fiesta"--that run to 35 minutes of sustained keyboard invention. --Stuart Broomer