Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz - Solos (2004)

Strange as it may seem, neither Wayne Horvitz nor Robin Holcomb have released an album of solo piano music, though Holcomb came pretty close on Little Three (two vocal tracks disqualify it as solo piano). Solos doesn't exactly qualify either, as it's a split release, but the similarity of their styles makes for an excellent program. If you didn't know, Holcomb and Horvitz have been married for more than 20 years, and Horvitz admits to a certain corniness surrounding the concept of a married couple releasing an album of solo pieces together. But the beauty of the music relegates the corny aspect to little more than curiosity. Both players share similarities, though Horvitz's style outwardly shows more of a blues influence than Holcomb. The pieces here are all gentle and introspective, with silence playing an especially important role in Holcomb's playing. The recording itself is exquisite, and the disc is encoded not only for compact disc players, but also Super-Audio and a Surround Sound mix. Every nuance of the performance is captured in fabulous detail. Solos shows a different side to each of these players than their usual output, particularly in Horvitz's case, but there is no denying the beauty of this recording. Excellent.