Robert Barry and Fred Anderson, Duets 2001 (side A)

Duets 2001 was released in 2001, but it was recorded in 1999.  It captures longtime Chicago staple Fred Anderson playing duets with drummer Robert Barry.  While Barry playing exhibits the freedom of his work with Sun Ra, it also owes an obvious debt to the sound of earlier jazz drumming, especially in his very dark snare sound.  His sense of timing feels precise, but without the martial rigidity that Andrew Cyrille sometimes employs.  The closest comparison to Barry's playing here might be Philly Joe Jones's work with Archie Shepp.  Anderson sounds great too—he's obviously comfortable with the collaboration.  It has a lot of energy and employs fast tempos, as the duo, even in their freedom, never lose a classic sense of swing.  The live recording reflects the limitations of its creation, but it captures the dynamics and detail of the duo's performance.  The photos on the cover look great, the design stays out of the way, and the glossy inner sleeve is nice.