The latest album to come from the consistently interesting F-ire Collective is this fascinating duo recording featuring pianist Robert Mitchell and violinist Omar Puente. “Bridges” is an appropriate title as the Essex born Mitchell links up with the Cuban virtuoso to perform a series of eight tunes. Four of these come from the pen of Mitchell with Puente contributing two pieces. Cuban legends Abalardo Valdez and Chucho Valdez supply a tune apiece.

The pair have worked together before in Mitchell’s group Panacea but the duo is a more recent development.

Both players have impressive pedigrees. Mitchell cut his teeth with tomorrow’s Warriors and Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop.He has played with funk crossover groups like J- Life and also with established jazz figures such as Norma Winstone, Steve Williamson and Steve Coleman among others. Coleman was a major influence on the F-ire Collective which numbers Mitchell among it’s members. Mitchell has led his own sextet Panacea since 2000 and has released two albums with the group. “Voyager” on the Dune label was released in 2001 and in 2005 “Trust” appeared on F-ire’s own label.

Puente initially studied classical music at the Escuela Nacional De Arte in Havana. He later learnt Latin Jazz and Cuban music from such great figures as Chucho Valdez, Artruro Sandoval, Ruben Gonzalez and Guillermo Rubalcaba. After graduation he continued his involvement in both classical and Cuban music playing as first violin with the Nacional Orquestra De Cuba and later touring the world with The Cuban Boys. Since moving to the UK in 1997 he has led the ten-piece band Raices Cubanas, a group of Cuban émigrés who were sometimes joined by the late Kirsty MacColl. It was during this period that Mitchell first heard Puente and invited him to guest with “Panacea”. Puente has toured with saxophonist Denys Baptiste and is currently a member of Courtney Pine’s touring band. Mitchell has also played with Pine.

The music on “Bridges” is an absorbing amalgam of the musician’s different backgrounds. There is a strong classical element but there is also a strong spirit of jazz and improvisation plus the Latin and Cuban influences. Puente plays an electric violin which has a surprisingly full and rounded tone and combines well with Mitchell’s grand piano. The range of sounds generated by just two instruments is impressive. Puente’s violin swoops and soars covering all the tonal possibilities of the instrument and his use of pizzicato is also imaginative. . Meanwhile the resourceful and versatile Mitchell seems to cover every inch of the keyboard. The chemistry between the two is remarkable and this truly is a meeting of equals.

The standard of writing is high too. Puente’s “Somebody Backstage” is a spirited opener and features Puente’s distinctive pizzicato.

Mitchell’s “Priceless” is more sombre but boasts a gorgeous melody.

Chucho Valdez’s “Mambo Influeniado” in an arrangement by Puente is a brief but joyous romp.

By way of total contrast Mitchell’s “Equinoctune” introduces his own classical leanings and is achingly beautiful. Mitchell’s ballad “Each Bird Must Sing” continues the reflective mood and features some wonderful interaction between the players.

If the two previous pieces were studies in control Abalardo Valdez’s “Almendra” brings a playful note to the proceedings with it’s jaunty Latin tune which Puente embellishes with classical flourishes. The duo then take off with a fast and furious improvisation featuring pounding piano and fiery violin.

“Reflections Of a Bee Hummingbird” also from the pen of Mitchell is the lengthiest track on the record coming in at over thirteen minutes. Initially the piece is reflective in tone and features classically influenced passages for solo piano. In the second half of the composition following a bridging section that again features Puente’s use of pizzicato the mood darkens considerably. Mitchell’s rumbling low register notes and Puente’s taut and abrasive bowing create an atmosphere of thrilling dissonance before matters are resolved.

Puente’s “Swings And Roundabouts” closes the album, a joyous blend of his European and Latin influences executed with an infectious charm.

This is an adventurous record that rises to the specific challenges of the duo and succeeds brilliantly. The pair’s use of dynamics ensures the music never becomes becalmed as can so often happen in the duo format. In a well-paced programme the listener is challenged but is unlikely to be bored.

For a relatively new partnership this is an excellent debut that promises even greater things to come. There is also a sense of fun and an element of theatricality about the music that suggests that they must be a terrific live act.

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