Martin Taylor & Alan Barnes: Two for the Road – review

You could listen to this set of guitar and clarinet duets for the best part of half an hour and conclude that here were two acknowledged virtuosi taking it easy, strolling gently through a few favourite old songs. And then along comes a speedy version of "The Song is You" guaranteed to scare the life out of any guitarist or clarinettist within earshot. This wakes you up to the fact that none of these 13 pieces is quite as simple as it seems, even Acker Bilk's "Stranger on the Shore" being decked out in slippery new harmonies. Don't be fooled by the mellow mood.