The late, great guitarist/educator Mick Goodrick is one of the most under-recorded geniuses in jazz. So it’s a very happy day whenever a previously unheard session becomes public. Produced in 1988, Feebles, Fables & Ferns captures an inspired duet session with acclaimed pianist Fred Hersch in the latter’s studio, apparently made with no further aim than to capture a good time on tape.
Originally recorded for Goodrick’s lone ECM solo album In Pas(s)ing (itself about to see a reissue in the Luminessence series), the title track throws the spotlight on what makes both men great at their jobs: lyricism, attention to melody, smart and galvanized improvisation. Combine that with the deep listening each player does to the other, and you have a mini-essay on what makes both musicians beloved in both performance and the teaching community. That spirit continues throughout the album, with a sparkling melody-forward read on Hersch’s “Heartsong,” a percussive take on songwriter Johnny Green’s “Out of Nowhere,” and an absolutely lovely version of piano giant Mal Waldron’s “Soul Eyes.” The pair also lean into their mutual friend Steve Swallow’s catalog, with gorgeous takes on the latter’s “Falling Grace” and “Amazing.”
Given their respective reps as master improvisers, it’s only fitting that they include “Five Excursions,” a batch of playful spontaneous compositions that range from cheeky to tense to lush in their interplay. It’s a shame these two colleagues didn’t release Feebles, Fables & Ferns at the time, and an even bigger scandal that they didn’t record together more often.
