This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
WHO THEY ARE: New York pianist Benny Green and Georgia-born guitarist Russell Malone are both first-call sidemen and session cats who apprenticed with the likes of Ray Brown and Art Blakey before pooling their talents.
WHAT THIS IS: The intimate live album Jazz At The Bistro — their first duo recording — is a set of lightly swinging, cocktail-flavoured classics that goes down smooth and puts both players in a good light. As Green’s gentle syncopation and precise timekeeping hold down the fort, Malone’s elastic, light-fingered runs burble by at high speed on a 15-song lineup of instrumentals that ranges from Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane oldies to Malone and Green originals. Best of all, both of these experienced players know how and when to lie back and let the other take over the spotlight.
