Spring (Irène Schweizer and Jürg Wickihalder album)

Spring is a live album of duets by pianist Irène Schweizer and saxophonist Jürg Wickihalder. It was recorded on February 6 and 7, 2014, at Loft Köln in Köln, Germany, and was released later that year by Intakt Records. The album features two compositions by Thelonious Monk, one by Schweizer, five by Wickihalder, three free improvisations, and, as a closer, Leonello Casucci's "Just a Gigolo".

Reception
In a review for All About Jazz, John Sharpe wrote: "the overwhelming impression is of two sympathetic partners having a ball... Schweizer lays down a playful rhythmic framework calling on older tropes such as ragtime and barrelhouse at times, which lends a cartoon air to proceedings. Wickihalder matches her every inch of the way, deploying a wide range of expressive tonal effects, but fully integrated into the flow rather than as technique for its own sake."

Marcus O'Dair of Jazzwise called the album "superb," and stated: "The sense is of musicians with nothing to prove... working together to create bracing and beautiful chamber jazz."

Point of Departure's Michael Rosenstein described the album as "a strong one all around," noting the influence of both Monk and Steve Lacy on the music, and commenting: "this duo provides the ultimate homage by drawing on Lacy and Monk's vocabulary to create a personal sound all their own."

Writing for Cadence, Bernie Koenig noted that "the interplay between the two is excellent," and stated that Schweizer's playing is "two handed but melodic, and she is always harmonically inventive."

Track listing

 * 1) "Red Light Crossing Friends" (Wickihalder) – 6:12
 * 2) "Rag Irène" (Schweizer) – 4:39
 * 3) "Köln" (Wickihalder) – 6:40
 * 4) "Green" (Wickihalder/Schweizer) – 3:08
 * 5) "Last Jump" (Wickihalder) – 6:53
 * 6) "The Road" (Wickihalder/Schweizer) – 3:25
 * 7) "White" (Wickihalder) – 6:18
 * 8) "Ugly Beauty" (Thelonious Monk) – 3:17
 * 9) "6243D" (Wickihalder) – 2:03
 * 10) "Trinkle Tinkle" (Thelonious Monk) – 2:45
 * 11) "Blue" (Wickihalder/Schweizer) – 5:18
 * 12) "Just a Gigolo" (Leonello Casucci) – 2:30

Personnel

 * Irène Schweizer – piano
 * Jürg Wickihalder – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone