Days Gone By is a recording featuring Ed Bickert and Sonny Greenwich; two of Canada’s finest jazz guitarists. They are supported on the recording by the very capable rhythm section of Don Thompson (double bass) and Terry Clarke (drums). It can difficult to coordinate a guitarist and a pianist when performing, and two guitars is even more of a challenge. One must always be conscious of not stepping on toes when the other guy is playing. This recording is a master class in how it is done right. It is fascinating to hear how the two guitarists take turns soloing and “comping” behind each other. Clarke’s drumming is busy without being intrusive, and Thompson’s bass playing is propulsive and supportive. There are 8 songs on the recording, and the two main soloists have plenty of room to stretch out. According the liner notes, “One summer afternoon in 1979, Sonny and Ed met up with bassist Don Thompson and drummer Terry Clarke at the bassist’s Puget Sound Studio. The tape machine was turned on and the music flowed.” The session has a relaxed feeling, with the musicians really enjoying themselves playing the type of music they enjoy, while at the same time pushing each other to perform. To be fair, there are some instances of distortion and a few minor miscues, but these flaws take nothing away from the vitality and musicality of the performances. All the tracks are great, although some are real standouts. On “I’ll Take Romance”, the rhythm section lays out and we get to hear the two guitarists on their own. Everybody really digs in on “Oleo”, the hard bop standard written by Sonny Rollins. After the song is over, you get to hear the musicians spontaneously express their themselves on how much fun they had in playing it. Although the recording took place in 1979, it wasn’t released until 2000 for some reason. We can only thank fortune that the tapes were held onto and that eventually we were give the opportunity to listen to some extraordinary playing. The compact disc version was released on the Sackville label and a digital version is available on itunes.
