Chemistry Set Is Like Magic

There was a lot of music coming off the Steamers Cafe bandstand Wednesday night, though only two musicians were making it. Flutist Ali Ryerson and guitarist Joe Beck frequently sounded as if they were a trio or a quartet or, at times, backed by string section as they performed standards and Beck originals in an appearance that magically delivered more than expected.

The more-than-meets-the-eye effect came from Beck’s uniquely tuned “alto” guitar, a six-string instrument with a 12-string sound. Two bass strings, two high-pitched, banjo-like strings and two strings tuned somewhere in between give it amazing range and tonal quality.

In Beck’s hands, the instrument became a full orchestra, supplying bass lines, thick chordal accompaniment and occasional percussive effects. In tandem with Ryerson’s rich alto flute, the guitarist made the most of every tune.

Beck has achieved near-legendary status among his peers with a career that spans work with everyone from Antonio Carlos Jobim to James Brown. He was the first guitarist to record with Miles Davis when Davis began to electrify his sound in the late ‘60s, and Beck has also recorded with the Gil Evans Orchestra, saxophonists David Sanborn and Stan Getz, singer-songwriter Paul Simon and London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ryerson, who has performed with pianist Kenny Barron and the late violinist Stephane Grappelli, has established her reputation through recordings for the Red Baron and, more recently, Concord labels; her latest, “Brasil: Quiet Devotion,” includes Beck. She and Beck have been working as a duo for the last year and released an album, “Alto,” on the DMP label.

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Despite such exposure, the sheer volume of sound the two generated, and the sympathetic way they meshed, almost came as a surprise. “Willow Weep for Me” was typical of the tunes they played, with Beck introducing the song with lush chords and entwining phrases before Ryerson sounded the familiar melody in straight, deliberate tones.

Clashing with her instrument’s reputation, Ryerson did not play delicately. She inserted a few blues lines of almost bawdy feeling into “Willow Weep for Me,” and her assertive, pushy way on “My Romance” surfaced in dancing, melodic displays. Her tone on alto flute, modulated with a dose of amplified reverb, was full and round and carried occasional hints of the breath that propelled it.

In accompaniment, Beck’s hands flashed and bounced about his instrument as he alternated between finger-picking, chordal plucks and taps to the strings. His solos took the form of dense chordal backdrops painted with spirited phrases, all colored with a subtly rising sense of dynamics.

Together, the two showed attentive empathy, echoing each other’s phrases, combining in ringing unison or standing back to let certain passages arrive unembellished. The flow of the tunes, established without the aid of drums or percussion, came from Beck’s bass line and sharp sense of rhythmic accompaniment.

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He borrowed the introduction his old boss Gil Evans wrote for “Summertime” before Ryerson brought a sultry feel to the familiar melody. The two dashed through Clifford Brown’s “Joy Spring” and brought respectful touches to Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father.” Possibly the least rewarding piece was a medley of the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” a song that takes well to jazz rhythms, and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Scarborough Fair,” a song that does not. But even here, their musical chemistry released heat and light.