Musically, it is in the duo context where Richie and my musical interests are most discernible. In this setting a musician is completely exposed both musically and emotionally having only each other to rely upon for inspiration and ideas. The duo has always served as the measuring stick of our evolution and concepts, focused at any given point of our several decade history upon whatever material was being explored at the time. The first two CDs from 1976 revolve around our original compositions which were also played by Lookout Farm in the quartet setting, but of course with completely different approaches for the duo. As well, there is a nod to the master, John Coltrane, for two 1976 selections. The 1990 CDs were performed immediately before we went our separate ways for fifteen years concentrating on contemporary harmonic underpinnings and free textures with a taste of ethnicity. Dave Liebman: soprano sax, tenor sax, alto flute, launeddas Richie Beirach: piano About the recordings: For most jazz musicians there is a significant difference between live and studio recordings, hopefully not qualitatively, but in terms of energy and inspiration. This is definitely true of the music that Richie Beirach and I have played together over the decades. We began together in the late '60s jamming in my loft in Manhattan, putting together Free Life Communication (musician’s cooperative), apprenticing with masters, listening, talking and exploring music towards constructing a sound that would reflect our influences, the times we lived in and whatever contribution we might ultimately make to the jazz legacy---in summary, the past, present and future. (Check out the bonus track of the 2009 discussion between Richie and myself that discusses our history.) Over the years we have played in three different configurations: the Duo and quartets Lookout Farm and Quest. Throughout you will hear certain recurring themes, albeit with a particular emphasis depending upon which setting. We have always looked back at the jazz repertoire interpreting it in our own manner. There have been traces of free jazz, fusion and world music along with an ongoing interest in the harmonic implications garnered from contemporary classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries; all integrated into an improvised jazz context. These commonalities can be observed over the four decades of our collaboration. As in any jazz, multiple takes of a tune are of interest because they can and often do differ so much from each other. It goes without saying that the sound quality on some of the tracks is less than desirable but we felt the music itself took precedence. Some of these tracks have been previously released on the Select line from Mosaic Records in the 2000s, available here for the first time as downloads. Dave Liebman, 2010