Cuban bolero's stately tempos, love-song lyrics and heartfelt passions are unlikely source material for an intimate duet for piano and alto sax. But for Zenón and Perdomo, music from South America's ‘bolero era’ is as embedded in their musical development as the work of Parker, Coltrane or Monk.

As Zenón explains in the sleevenotes, “we chose songs we could play without a second thought… songs from the time of our parents and grandparents that somehow stuck around”. The result is Zenón delivering a masterclass of thematic development with equally cultured support.

The set opens with ‘Como Fue’, originally sung by Beny Moré to lush big band accompaniment. ‘Alma Adentro’ comes next, a favourite of Zenón's mother, here taken slower than the Puerto Rican original. And then ‘Ese Hastío', recorded by Ray Barreto in 1979. Zenón outlines each theme in clear contours and a rounded tone, Perdomo adds supple voicings and linking lines.

Elsewhere, the saxophonist ripples majestically on the haunting ballad ‘La Vida Es Un Sueño', written by Arsenio Rodriguez, delivers heartbreak on ‘Que Te Pedí', famously recorded by ‘La Lupe’ with Tito Puente in 1965, and closes the album jauntily with ‘Juguete’.

Along the way, Zenón and Perdomo intertwine, passions fall and rise and Parker's version of ‘Star Eyes’ is among the jazzier quotes. A lovely album, packed with detail, and growing increasingly intense.