Album Notes

Guitarist Mike Murray and bassist Scott Thornton engage in a thoughtful set of duos that consist of six improvisations, two compositions by Murray ("Points" and "Excerpt #4") and an adaptation of Charles Ives' "Soliloquy". Murray plays both acoustic and electric guitars and he uses electronics to augment his guitar work. Murray doesn't just use them to wow the listner with whiz-bang effects, but mainly to vary his tone from a brittle staccato attack to lush reverberating string work (particularly noticeable is the way he lets chords linger toward the end of the first improvisation). Thornton's bass has a big, woody tone and he plays his instrument with a forceful intensity. His arco work really stands out. On "Points" his low, dolorous lines complement Murray nicely from the arpeggiated opening to the harmonics that conclude the piece. The general tenor of these duets is one of thoughtful interplay. They're two players who seem to know each other well and are listening intently to each other. As the title suggests, the music ebbs and flows with swirls and eddies. Liquify is an engaging listen.

Robert Iannapollo - Cadence Magazine