Dave Burrell is part of a lineage, including Jaki Byard before him and heir Jason Moran, of pianists absorbing every style of jazz so thoroughly and authentically that they cannot be shackled to any genre distinction.

He had been playing the music of another unclassifiable pianist giant for years � Duke Ellington � so the chance to work with drummer Sam Woodyard, who powered Ellington's bands from 1955-68, must have tickled his mental ivories. This recently unearthed recording documents a concert by the pair towards the end of a three-month residency at the Paris venue Campagne Premiere � Woodyard having expatriated to the French capital several years earlier (and dying there in 1988) � coming ten years to the month that Burrell had previously been in Paris making his own and others' records for BYG-Actuel. Due to a fluttery recording and slightly out of tune piano, if there had been no identifying information, apart from the track lengths, the music could have come from a '40s shellac 78.

The program mixes Burrell originals with the Gershwins' "Embraceable You" and two pieces from the Ellington songbook: his "Sophisticated Lady" and Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life". For the discographically minded, this new set can be heard as a companion to Burrell's solo hatHUT date Windward Passages, which was recorded in Switzerland three weeks later and also has "Embraceable You" and all the Burrell compositions, most of which were part of an opera in progress in collaboration with his partner Monika Larsson.

Whatever Woodyard knew about Burrell before their meeting, there must have been immediate kinship and weeks of concerts helped develop what is an astonishing rapport. He is a completely different drummer than Burrell's previous associates like Sunny Murray and Beaver Harris, laying down the most skeletal of rhythms on the simplest of kits (if there is a kick drum, it is not audible), inspiring Burrell to channel his barrelhouse forebears. The collection of rags, shuffles and blues is ideal for the setting, with the highlights being "Black Robert" and the ending of "Lush Life", which features Woodyard bashing in hilarious contrast to the song's typically sedate readings. The drummer, 15 years older than the pianist, is fully locked in with his partner, exploding with raucous laughter at the end of several tracks.

Apparently this music was set to be put out by Horo at the time, but the label's folding condemned it to "lost session" status. Many times those types of discoveries are underwhelming. Not here. This is essential listening.