This disc reminds one how refreshing the sound of the clarinet can be. In the hands of a master like Frenchman Louis Sclavis, with spry piano interaction by Aki Takase , the pleasure is enhanced. In 13 mainly short pieces the duo scintillates through a rainbow of clarinet and piano hues.

Recorded in a Baden-Baden studio, the pieces were previously performed at, and some of them specifically written for, the celebration in 2009 of the 150 anniversary of the opening of Yokohama harbor, one of the historically most important ports in Japan, especially as an entry-point for western influence. The east-west meeting of cultures is reflected in the pairing of these two musicians, pianist Takase who is Japanese and Sclavic, who is French. Takase's residence in Germany and frequent collaboration with western musicians and her immersion in western music-making make her a very sensitive conduit for the two artistic traditions. Although in this day and age, there are few actual borders, culturally speaking, regionalisms are subtle and not always understood in the melting pot of global cultures, but here they seem in perfect accord, since these musicians have explored their wide-ranging art and bring lots of cultural and personal depth to the project.

The qualities of the music are quite varied, from the Monkish angularity and economy of means of many of the pieces, to a contemporary classical sensibility in the timbre explorations. Most of these are fully-formed compositions within which improvisation plays a significant part, and three pieces are entirely improvised, but which have a logic that shows the musicians' ability to think on their feet. These are improvising musicians who are steeped in the art of composition and in the results it is hard to tell the improvised from the composed, since it is all very proficient composition.

Particularly note-worthy are the calm, centered statements of "Preface", the contrapuntal beauty of "Contre Contre" and the contrasts of rhythm and silence of "Raw Silk." But the sequence of short tone-poems on this disc flow one into the other in a pleasingly seamless, organic way. The sound conceptions are masterly and the interactions are fluid and rich in nuance and thematic interest.