With the release of the uniquely compelling, exotically titled collection Malita-Malika just a few months after her equally provocative set Spiderwebmandala with clarinetist Bill Payne, NYC pianist Carol Liebowitz continues to showcase her masterful ability to draw listeners in with a dynamic range of free improvisation duets.
The new album finds her creating a compelling, multi mood-swinging duality with veteran Germany tenor saxophonist Birgitta Flick, whom she first met at a Berlin Jazz club in 2010. Four years later, when their paths crossed later in New York, they played together over the course of several months. Full of dark, offbeat, frenetic angles and brighter, lyrical moments of uncommon, melodic grace – sometimes within the same piece - Malita-Malika is the fruit of their extraordinary chemistry.
The duo’s set includes nine originals and fresh, dreamscape like strolls through “September in the Rain” (paired as a medley with their “Marionette”) and “You Don’t Know What Love Is” – both of which give us an opportunity to hear the multi-talented Liebowitz’s exquisite lead vocals.