Above all this new work is a significant encounter across generations as 83-year-old Shepp and 45-year-old Moran have had different life experiences and career paths. Yet they negotiate the repertoire of standards, originals and spirituals with a composure and sense of measure that reflects maturity and an emotional engagement with the material that precludes push-button showboating.

Anguish becomes strangled gravitas on the spirituals, where Moran moves from accompanist to power puncher. He lays an undercurrent of rolling thunder on “Go Down Moses” and makes a concerto of “He Cares.” For all the heft, however, they move like slow, stately dirges. Recorded live, it all sounds like a studio job. Maybe no one dared make a sound. You don’t argue with an original like Shepp.

These live sets between the saxophonist and pianist capture a dialogue between two highly skilled and empathetic collaborators, whose reverence for space matches their regard for the music itself.