Cuban pianist Ortiz’s strong run of recent releases continues with this duet that features clarinetistsaxophonist Byron, who has not been oft heard in the past decade or so. Nonetheless, he proves a simpatico partner as the two men take on some big themes from jazz, classical and Spanish music – Ellington’s ‘Black And Tan Fantasy’, Bach’s ‘Violin Partita No.1 In B Minor’ and Federico Mompou’s ‘Musica Callada: Book I, V’ – as well as original compositions by both. At times sotto voce is the order of the day, and the skim-the-surface delicacy of Ortiz’s chords, particularly at low tempo, as well as the wafted, willowy quality of Byron’s clarinet is effective, enabling the two players to fully convey the emotional and narrative depth of certain themes and conjure up the necessary intimacy to make the session feel like a front room recital. Yet there is a probing, quite unsettling undercurrent in some of Ortiz’s composing, exemplified in ‘Arabesques Of A Geometrical Rose (Spring)’, where eerie harmonies, right on the cusp of (a) tonality excel. The blend of Ortiz’s pounding left hand and scurrying right creates the effect of birds scattering from the sound of a tidal wave, and it is reinforced by Byron’s alternation of fragmented and fluently rhapsodic lines. Duets are no easy proposition, but the choice of repertoire, solo flourish of the players and, most importantly, their chemistry, make this a triumph.