Waltz for Joy

Woody and Susanne have established themselves in the company of the rare duo genre of singer and solo instrumentalist, reminiscent of classic collaborations between Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis, and Sheila Jordan and Harvie S. Bill Evans commented that he never listened to the lyrics sung by Mr. Bennett. He heard music, melody on harmony, and texture of substance. In that vein, Woody and Susanne, memorialize the quot;joyquot; of guitarist/composer, Attila Zoller's complex sprawling intervallic melodies and wandering harmonic directions into a recording grounded in their own sense of communication between themselves, as music. In fact, Woody produced Zoller's final CD Lasting Love, in which these songs are played in a farewell recording, before passing on, by the artist himself. This CD is a perfect amalgamation of musicians and music, with Susanne and Woody navigating four compositions by Zoller, often cited as the guitar players-guitar player, and clearly an influence on Woody's style. Though there are nine other cuts, partly written by their often-recorded composers, Lisa Ashman and Jeffrey Meyer (who also wrote the lyrics to Zoller's music), the spirit is a well-deserved tribute as a part of the whole. The Birds and the Bees could have been a commission for Woody and Susanne- the type of song that defines their connection. And, it is no accident that they've included two cuts, That's Just New York in the Summer and, Fall, that reflects their love for New York City and it's abundance of seasonal diversity and inspiration. Samba Caribe is so pure that Susanne sings a sweet lyric-less melody to Woody's swaying, neo-latin accompaniment. In the trenches of music, there are the grunts, the inspired, the dedicated, the determined and the artistic. Long distance collaborations between New York and Kassel, Germany are not easy, at best. But with every performance and recording, Woody and Susanne pick up where they left off, leaving a legacy of work in the vein of duo giants before them.