In 1963, Martial Solal appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival. The album that resulted – Martial Solal at Newport ’63 – had emblazoned on the front cover “First American Recording by Europe’s Greatest Jazz Pianist!” (even though the recordings were actually made in the studio). Capitol records responded with Martial Solal and on their front cover they similarly emblazoned “The Debut on Discs of Europe’s Greatest Jazz Pianist” (it wasn’t his debut on disc and the recordings were cut in Paris). Nevertheless, it says a lot about Solal’s stature in jazz, even then, that he had major American recording companies vying with each other to release his material. Now 90 years of age – and still playing – Solal has long breathed the rarefied air at the top of the jazz profession. This duet from 2016 with Dave Liebman, recorded live at the Jazz & Wine Festival in Bordeaux, shows no slackening of creative resolve on either players’ part (Liebman was then 70). In fact, both seem stimulated by each others presence on the bandstand as they work through six classic standards – ‘All the Things You Are’, ‘Night and Day’, ‘Solar’, ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’, ‘On Green Dolphin Street’ and ‘Lover Man’ – on what is a wholly absorbing disc. Indeed, in the liner notes Liebman (always parsimonious with his praise) says: “I am in complete agreement that the title Maestro truly describes and acknowledges the greatness of my playing partner Martial Solal. Playing with him has been an experience unlike any I have had in music over the past 50 years of playing.” Thus, Liebman, a maestro himself, fittingly acknowledges another, and their shared respect, warmth and humanity makes this album something special.