Pitched midway between the soprano and alto, the mezzo sax combines the tonal qualities of both. It adds the alto's fruity ebullience to the soprano's oriental mystique, and reminds me a bit of Roland Kirk's manzello or stritch. It's a recent invention, designed for Benjamin Koppel in 2007, making the Danish saxophonist the instrument's trailblazer, though it's probably through Joe Lovano that the instrument has become more widely known. Here, the two mezzo sax specialists go head-to-head on a neat set of originals recorded at last year's Summer Jazz Festival in Copenhagen with a rhythm section that is supportive and on song. Pianist Kenny Werner adds tasty solos, bassist Scott Colley firm support and drummer Jonathan Blake controlled energy and drive. But the emphasis is on the fluent and fiery mezzo-playing leads and the contrasting styles they deliver – Lovano rhythmically devious; Koppel more straightahead. The album opens with the twisty theme of a Lovano-penned upbeat burner, includes the tempo-changing ‘Etterno’ and a floaty Werner moodpiece. But it is the firmly structured Koppel compositions that stand out and make this more than a slightly strange-sounding twin-sax joust. ‘The Unanswered Question’ is a pensive highlight which contrasts Lovano's breathy tone with Koppel's poised control, ‘Fugue’ is suitably baroque, while ‘Disgrace to Brooklyn’ is a bustling point-scorer with a downtown flavour and Colley in Charlie Haden mode.