In the 1980s, Surman, DeJohnette and indeed ECM had grown to such iconic status that it's no surprise that then, as now, Simon Simon garnered all the plaudits. That great yet enigmatic cover shot, Surman's conjuring of an ‘English’ pastoralism (answers on a very small postcard about what that actually means), that innovative use of synth figures and washes, not to mention the rawness of DeJohnette's immaculately recorded drums (including hand drums) all made for a recording with an unquestionable caché. Yet later albums (this was their first duo recording, though they'd played together since the late 1960s) were equally gorgeous, and Surman's playing, poised as ever, especially on soprano, was more challenged and therefore more passionate in other contexts. Burst the bubble of its mystic ambience, and Surman often sounds dry and restrained, his ‘out’ flourishes even arch and overblown, while DeJohnette is likewise curiously controlled, waiting for combustion rather than igniting the fire himself. A must for fans, but with hindsight, a curiously narrow outing from two artists who revel best in wide open musical spaces.