Swiss pianist Schweizer and Dutch drummer Bennink were among the first wave of European free-improvisers, both taking part in Manfred Schoof's landmark freejazz recording European Echoes in 1969. Both are also renowned as enthusiastic proponents of the duo format – Bennink in famous pairings with Peter Brötzmann and Misha Mengelberg, and Schweizer in a series of meetings with drummers including Louis Moholo Moholo, Andrew Cyrille and others. Surprisingly, then, this is only their second duo recording together, following their self-titled album released in 1996. That's all the more surprising given the quality of the music they make together. Across 14 short vignettes, they strike up a perfectly simpatico relationship that draws spontaneous improvisations into persuasive coherence just as much as it injects classic ballads such as Monk's ‘Eronel’ with wry humour and palpable affection. Schweizer's innate rhythmic feel is never far from the surface, even when she's exploring Cecil Tayloresque abstract clusters, providing Bennink with more than enough opportunity to dig in tight with fierce rim-shots or his spry and versatile brush and snare work. It's nothing short of a master class in musical dialogue.