Curly Roberta Piket sat at the grand piano, while to her left, a dozen or so pairs of 18-inch praying hands protruded from the floor. At least Jimmy Greenfield's sculptures appeared to be praying; maybe they were silently applauding her performance. That's why they call it art.
In Brooklyn's Soapbox Gallery, Piket seemed unconcerned with the emptiness inherent in our current live-streaming climate. The solitude might even have enhanced her incredible focus as she and her drummer husband, Billy Mintz, rolled through a set of lively compositions written by each.
Mintz's, such as the Caribbean soul sparker "Cannonball" and the bebop takeoff "Billy's Bop," had a more rooted feel, while melodious, harmonically piquant Piket tunes such as "Bridge to Nowhere" were filled with changes that turned where we never expected, but somehow where they should. Mintz and Piket played both solo and duo -- Mintz light and spontaneous but insistent on the skins and cymbals, Piket showing off her firm, evenhanded, flowing technique in ways that recalled Art Tatum, Bud Powell and the left hand of Thelonious Monk. She plainly enjoyed working out on Soapbox's clean-sounding, resonant Yamaha grand, patting it appreciatively while she thanked the gallery hosts.
The many hours Piket and Mintz have spent together paid off in their interplay. Their tunes often called for subtle hesitations and counterpoints, which they executed sans sweat. And their natural swing told us how much fun it can be when high levels of craft combine with inspiration and an openhearted attitude. Fun to play, fun to hear.
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Piket and Mintz have made several fine recordings, together and separately. You can sample/purchase Piket's new solo-piano release, "Piket Plays Mintz," here.