Two great reed men are spotlighted on in a pair of swinging sessions, one from the studio, and the other from a jazz cruise aboard ship, recorded 18 years apart.
John Kenneth "Kenny" Davern and Joseph Edward Filipetti, better known as Flip Phillips are the 'John & Joe' in question. Separated by about 20 years in age, both were steeped in the great swing traditions, and had a long musical friendship.
Disc 1 features an all\-star 1977 New York studio session which has been out of print for decades, featuring pianist Dave McKenna, bassist George Duvivier, and drummer Bobby Rosengarden, performing both standards and a joint original. Both reed men triple with Davern on clarinet, soprano and C-Melody saxes, with Phillips on sax, clarinet and bass clarinet. With the blue-chip rhythm section, the swinging never stops.
Disc 2 is a 1995 live performance from the Floating Jazz Festival with a sextet featuring Derek Smith on piano, Howard Alden on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass and Joe Ascione on drums, with special guest Phil Woods joining for a burning version of 'Lover Come Back to Me'.
