A Singular Twosome Gets It Together

Beethoven wrote duos for clarinet and bassoon, Mozart for two horns as well as violin and viola. So there was at least some precedent for trumpeter Sal Marquez and bassist Dave Carpenter’s duo appearance at Spaghettini on Sunday.

Still, the trumpet-bass collaboration was something of a novelty for anyone more used to hearing percussion behind a trumpeter, or used to hearing piano carry the harmonic load. Yet Marquez and Carpenter made for a surprisingly enjoyable team who turned standards into playful romps between the two of them.

Carpenter made sure the piano wasn’t missed as he filled each tune with plenty of chordal play from his six-string electric bass. And when Marquez wasn’t blowing trumpet, he would sit at the keyboard, occasionally turning out spare accompaniment for the bassist and even taking a spunky solo or two.

Marquez, who spent two year’s with Branford Marsalis’ “Tonight Show” band, told the small, attentive crowd that he and Carpenter had developed the idea after he heard the bassist playing in a small informal apartment setting.

“I love Miles (Davis), Kenny Dorham, Chet Baker,” he continued. The performance that followed verified that statement as snatches of Baker’s understated tones, Dorham’s driving post-bop aggressiveness and Davis’ moodiness surfaced throughout the trumpeter’s sound.

The two took time to come together as they opened with “All of You,” hunting down the proper rhythm without success while looking for ways to accent each other’s sound. Marquez showed competent chops at the piano in a solo accompanied by the buzz of a snare drum stored under the keyboard.

But they settled immediately into a lovely slow tempo for “Stella by Starlight,” with Marquez’s muted trumpet carrying some of Miles’ haunting style. Davis was again on the trumpeter’s mind during “So What,” and his piano-stylings during the tune were his best of the evening. Carpenter thickened the familiar bass line with overhanging tones, then gave an ambitious solo played with a almost guitar-like sound.

“Just In Time” featured Marquez soloing without the mute, blowing away from the microphone in reserved tones that recalled Baker’s delicate approach. The two pulled “I’ll Be Seeing You” out of a host of requests thrown their way (“What’s all this?” Marquez responded. “It’s the history of music over here.”) and again, Marquez played open horn in beautifully responsive fashion.

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But it was Carpenter who consistently offered the most impressive solos. Pulling a rich sound from his six-string, the bassist developed warm chordal passages, fleet, bop-paced runs and sturdy walk rhythms. Carpenter also offered his partner fine accompaniment, following his every move while responding with upper-register chords and deep-ringing low-end sounds.

The duo found a delicious groove during the late Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive,” and Marquez used the sultry pace to emphasize the lyric’s melancholy nature. Carpenter continued the mood, proving that the electric bass, an instrument most often heard popping off funk beats and bargain-basement riffs, can produce more delicate tones as well.

Not everything fell together perfectly during this improvisation-heavy set. But the chance to watch the two men search for common ground offered rewards not usually present during more polished and predictable sets. And during those frequent times when the two spoke with a common voice, the effect was almost magical.