ORACLE (ECM LUMINESSENCE SERIES)

With so much virtuosity living inside bassist Gary Peacock and guitarist Ralph Towner, one might expect from this duo a showcase of lively showmanship. And while this is most certainly at its heart, on the whole we are given an understated album recorded out of deepest respect for its listeners. The improv is robust yet tender and marked by a distinct patina around the edges. Oracle is like the ocean: we know its overall shape, but the movement of every wave is at the whim of something unseen that flows through all of us.