Bill Mays & Ray Drummond - One To One & One To One 2 (2022)

The ghost of Bill Evans was certainly present during this duo recording. The musical interplay between pianist Bill Mays and bassist Ray Drummond is reminiscent of Evans and his various bassists. Mays and Drummond operate as equals (in fact the bassist seems to control the music as least as much as Mays) and their solo space is split fairly evenly. That is not to say that Bill Mays is merely imitating Evans on this CD, just that his highly impressive session is very much in that tradition; an adventurous rendition of "Skylark" is the highpoint. © Scott Yanow

This is a brilliant follow-up to their earlier duo date for DMP. Their sparkling interplay produces many delightful moments, because this duo shares the spotlight, unlike the many piano/bass outings that focus on the keyboard 80 percent of the time. The dramatic rendition of "'Round Midnight" finds the two of them taking turns in the spotlight while avoiding the all too clichéd approaches. Jimmy Rowles' enticing "502 Blues" features Drummond's fat toned bass with soft backgrounds by Mays. The pianist also contributed three originals to the date, with "Ray's Refrain" proving to be especially enticing. A follow-up is long overdue. © Ken Dryden