Epistrophy picks up from the equally intimate Small Town; recorded live at the Village Vanguard, these are classic standards presented at a classic venue in, well, a most classic performance. This is Frisell in his purest, Johnny Smith mode: a tone to die for and a collaborator in Morgan who is mindful of each and every Frisellian twist, turn and harmonic finesse. The programming is well thought through, with a sumptuously romantic ‘Save The Last Dance For Me’, followed by the freest cut of the set, a gnarly but not alienating ‘Mumbo Jumbo’, before we revel in the dramatics of ‘You Only Live Twice’ and a melancholic but life-affirming ‘Lush Life’. The pair are particularly fine Monk masters, notably on the title-track; unlike so many they don't play up the ‘quirkiness’, but revel in the damn fine tune: Frisell even squeezes in a rock'n'roll flavour which would've had Monk doing one of his little dances. Classic indeed: but nary a note of nostalgia.