According to Hans-Jurgen Schall's liner notes, this trio was the core of Jasper Van't Hof's Pork Pie, which was wound up at the end of the 1970s. The trio continued to tour, and recorded Sleep My Love in 1979 for CMP. The Stuttgart concert was in effect a 2008 reunion, recorded when Mariano (by then a Cologne resident) was 84. However, his playing has the energy and invention of a young man – while Catherine and Van't Hof frame this underrated player to perfection. Mariano contributes three originals, ‘Crystal Bells,’ ‘Randy’ and ‘Plum Island’ and he is clearly in remarkable form – his lines logical, yet often surprising. Catherine is a master guitarist, but Van't Hof is a revelation, an orchestra one moment and a genteel pianoforte the next. A little gem that could easily pass under your radar, but well worth tracking down.