The Deardorf / Peterson Group - Portal (2004)

Longtime Seattle jazzmen (and professors at one of the official bastions of jazz education, Cornish) Chuck Deardorf and Dave Peterson have been playing together for quite some time, and have each appeared on a number of albums. Despite this, it's only now that they've gotten a proper debut. The works they perform here are essentially all originals from Peterson, with the exception of a short track from Deardorf, Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria," and the heavily performed "Invitation" from the old movie track writers Kaper and Webster. The most notable performances here are in the hands of Peterson on guitar and Deardorf on bass (in particular, check out the solos in "Rhythm Tune" and "Ana Maria"), as one would expect. Equally notable, though, is saxophone powerhouse Hans Teuber, who maintains a strong presence regardless of the tune, and stalwart drummer (and label founder) John Bishop. Bay pianist George Cables does a fine job of keeping the group together with some thick comping bouts, but remains largely in the background. Overall, it's a nice, solid album, as much from the Origin label is. Give it a spin or two for the group dynamic alone, and build from there. -- Adam Greenberg