Back in the day, there were so many terrific tenor players spread over the various genres in jazz, but somehow almost every one had a sound or style of their own which was often instantly recognisable. Does a similar situation exist today? Almost certainly not, though in fairness, it must be said that in a recent Downbeat ‘Blindfold Dates’, both James Carter and, surprisingly, David Sanborn identified every single player they heard! Someone who really stands out and who always has, is Boston-based Jerry Bergonzi. On this pianoless date, he spars with bop era veteran altoist Dick Oatts, best remembered for his recordings with ex-Charlie Parker trumpeter Red Rodney, who has been a New Hampshire resident for many years now and recording mainly for SteepleChase. There are 12 tunes and over 70 minutes of music. Most are brand new by one or the other, though a few are reworkings of numbers previously recorded by Bergonzi. The blend and empathy between the two is quite exceptional. Bergonzi admits when listening that even he has difficulty telling the difference between them, even identifying which is the alto and which is the tenor. You'll probably have a similar problem at times! Though the moods and tempos certainly vary, several have the saxophonists' reharmonisations of well-known standard chord structures. Older readers may find similarities to early 1950s collaborations between Lee Konitz and the underappreciated Warne Marsh, whose sophisticated, often contrapuntal, entwinings were so original. All in all, a CD for every saxist to get his teeth into. My advice? Don't try and take in all the tracks at one hearing. You'll be exhausted!