Reviews

Although naturally reticent and self - effacing, Wheeler has the steely inner drive and vision of the true artist and has created his own unique harmonic system, which is studied in music colleges and academies around the world. He has composed much music for large ensembles (as well as small ones) and his orchestral music has also been studied and performed internationally. He’s also one of the greatest jazz trumpeters with his own sound and style. Taylor shares many of Wheeler’s qualities, and has brought his piano playing to an extraordinary peak, and he too is a fine and versatile composer. Both men are quite modest, but know their own worth, and I believe that each has touches of genius. Taylor is certainly one of the finest jazz pianists in the world. The two men have worked together off and on over the years, and their rapport is magical, and their music always eloquent of the human condition. This new duo album is yet another milestone in their collaborations. With these two master musicians, there is no rhetoric, but only the poetry of the human condition, and this is part and parcel of their distinction-their music really touches and moves people, because they invest themselves in every note and phrase they play. Where do we go from here? is a triumph and a tour de force. First, because it is full of drama and awash with humanity, and second, because there are so many beautiful moments. The standard of playing and concentration borders on the superhuman. Once again the duo might well repeat “Where do we go from here?”
Ian Carr