Having played together for some 40 years, Gumpert and Sommer could probably do this in their sleep, but that doesn't mean that they necessarily are. Not knowing exactly what to expect from this record, I was surprised to find that most of it is pretty "straight" and mostly "composed" piano and drum music. Locker Von Hocker" begins with a short (1:22 if you're counting) beautifully recorded drum solo played with brushes, the skin resonances hanging in the air eventually joined by Sommer's quick vocal utterances. This is truncated abruptly by a baroque-sounding theme from the piano which sounds oddly harpsichord-like. Gunter then begins singing, swinging the theme alone before both gents play together, Sommer switching to sticks and hitting a bit harder. After stating the theme and it's bridge, the improvisation starts, first breaking up the rhythm and then letting fly altogether, ending in a full bottom-end ring which fades and then we're back in the bar-room with memories of Monk. They sound like they're having fun.

"Von C bis C" mostly hangs in the air, with a decidedly romantic-sounding piano and free drumming. It has the kind of chromaticism that's always made me run away from piano and orchestra recitals. "Blues For P.K" has more Monkish lines and lots of bluesy phrases without being strictly a blues. It does swing, with Sommer slamming the rim-shots in just the right places. "Ermutigung" is a moody ballad, and "Free For Two" is, despite its title, a boppish device with a goofy head and some nice "jungle drums" followed by honest-to-goodness stride playing toward the middle. Maybe it is indeed "free" � these guys have been at it long enough that they can probably read each other's minds.

Further in we find a strange, slow piece that somehow mixes Cecil Taylor-like vocalese and quiet chording with an insistent drum rhythm ("Inside Outside Shout"), a couple of tunes that would fit nicely on an old Blue Note Album from the late '50's, and a stiff-sounding march that eventually unravels ("Soldat Soldat"). Methinks that these guy's tongues are oftimes planted en-cheek, but this is a nice set of music from a couple of good players.