| NOTES I met Elliott Levin many years ago, when he asked to borrow my new Yoko Ono album through a friend back in 1970. He lent me an Ornette Coleman album in return and nothing was quite the same after that. Thanks, El! I think we only ever really played together once before, when he invited me to participate in an ensemble that was playing a local library. I played kazoo that day, but not for long as we got thrown out not long after we�d started. It set the tone for my musical career, but not Elliott�s. Since then, Elliott has gone on to play all over the world, backing up everyone from Harold Melvin to Cecil Taylor, as well as leading his own groups. He was the first person I thought of when I began to consider doing an album of duets and I�m more than pleased that he accepted my invitation. As you�ll hear, he�s an exceptional listener and musician, lithe, aggressive, nuanced, and intuitive. As many Philadelphia musicians will tell you, Elliott�s the real Sound Of Philadelphia and completely dedicated to his art. I feel lucky that I got to make this recording and hope we can do it again. A few notes on the tracks: PRELUDE A warm-up with Elliott on soprano. My intro tries to mimic two different pianists playing at the same time (one a little more straightforward than the other), but this doesn�t throw Elliott off a bit. He navigates effortlessly throughout here, and I especially enjoy how melodic he manages to make things, even when my playing wouldn�t seem to easily invite that response. SASSAFRAS HELLO A longer soprano piece that starts out slowly and features some string strumming from yours truly. Elliott seems to find every hidden rhythm in what I�m playing and there�s some call-and-response, as well as some playing with the extremes of the keyboard. BLOOMING Some lovely, lovely flute playing from Elliott here. I remember a remark Stravinsky made about how George Balanchine�s choreography helped him �see� his music for the first time. For me, Elliott�s flute fleshes my playing out into some wonderful, multicolored 3-D. There�s an in-joke for Joyce fans, too (something we both share), as he sneaks in a quote from �Love�s Old Sweet Song�, which features so prominently in �Ulysses� (Hence, the title of this piece). TWENTY YEAR CIRCUS The centerpiece, I guess (isn�t that what you�re supposed to say about the longest track?), with a title that�s a nod to composer Henry Threadgill. This tenor/piano duet features some powerhouse playing from Elliott. The other sounds you hear are me trying to hang on by my fingernails. And I haven�t asked him, but I think there�s a bit of �My Heart Belongs To Daddy� being quoted towards the end. WHEREVER YOU MAY HANG YOUR HALO Starting out with some improvised spoken word from Elliott, he slowly goes from speech into pure glossalalia into saxophone, effectively erasing the barriers between them. It was a challenge and a pleasure to try and create the proper accents to go behind the words. The title (Elliott�s) would make a good alternate for this whole collection, I think. To hang your halo is to do something mundane and spiritual at the same time. It�s the combo most of us are stuck with and there�s no reason why we shouldn�t celebrate it. Best, Robert W. Getz |