The all-stars of the title, tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Seamus Blake, proved their mettle on their previous release from Soho’s Pizza Express jazz club, Burnin’ in London. Both saxophonists are blues-laced technicians with a competitive edge and the professionalism to combine sweetly on the theme. That album featured the late Harold Mabern on piano, who died in September last year. Mabern was ill at the time of this recording, but with New Yorker Mike LeDonne stepping in on piano and organ, the mix of modal jazz, standards and the blues remain untouched. Live Encounter opens with saxes harmonising the vamp-and-release theme, ‘Encounter’, and the band twisting through latin jazz and swing. ‘Naima’ comes next, faster than the norm and richly voiced, and then a blues ‘Incazzato’, the horns in unison and LeDonne switching to Hammond B3. Both saxophonists deliver tight phrasing and infuse the changes with harmonic twists and melodic turns. Alexander’s tone is lighter, Blake more prone to surprise, and they push each other to excel as well as excite. Solid beats and classy solos from LeDonne and Aldo Zunino on guitar make this more than a tenor-sax joust. The ballad, Lionel Richie’s ‘Still’, comes mid-set with slow-dance Alexander sax and vocalist Ian Shaw as guest, while the album plays out with tempos on the move. ‘Second Impressions’ comes at speed, ‘Heartaches’ lopes and ‘Eddie Harris’ hits a groove that would make its late namesake proud.