Illinois pianist/composer
Patrick Beckman
, with substantial help from accompanist
Richard Stoltzman
on clarinet, performs a suite for clarinet and piano on
Big Muddy
. These five pieces, all lasting between five and ten minutes, are according to the sleeve "a celebration of the various musics of the Mississippi basin." While many people associate jazz and blues with that region, and there is some jazz and blues here, this really has more of a classical feel than anything else. The clarinet and piano interaction is playful, yet the limitation of the arrangements to those two instruments helps give this more of a recital feel than a boisterous one,
Beckman
's piano in particular grounding the compositions in a somewhat studied mood. Though the cover also notes that these compositions evolved in the studio to some degree with
Stoltzman
's contributions, it's not all that spontaneous-sounding -- not a criticism, but something that also distinguishes it from the more raucous blues and jazz of the Mississippi basin. The aura is more often than not pensive and introspective, with
"Catfish Rondeau"
hinting more than any of the other pieces at a more uninhibited Dixieland flavor. ~ Richie Unterberger