Tony Coe and John Horler share "Night and Day"

British jazz mainstays Tony Coe (father of Gideon Coe) and John Horler have announced the release of a new album entitled “Dancing In The Dark”. The album features previous unreleased recordings from a live performance in 2007 and is due out 13th August via London tastemaker label and analogue specialists, Gearbox Records.

Piano and clarinet duo albums are few and far between within the jazz canon. In the case of “Dancing in the Dark”, versatile horn player Tony Coe chose to stick to the clarinet as his saxophone case was too heavy, or so that's how pianist John Horler recounts it. The performance in question takes place at St Michael's Church, Appleby in 2007 as part of the annual Appleby Jazz Festival. The setting is warm and intimate as is the church acoustic, a perfect backdrop for the varied repertoire of standards and original compositions performed.

Coe and Horler dance their way through Bill Evans' “Re: Person I Knew” and Cole Porter's “Night and Day” as well as Horler's own “Piece for Poppy”, dedicated to his partner Wendy and John Keats, and Coe's contrafact to Autumn Leaves, titled “Some Other Autumn”. Both players push and pull the well-known melodies to suit the moment yet maintain complete synergy with one another, with Horler's Bill Evans-esque chord voicings and meandering lyrical interludes giving platform to Coe's resounding, cadenza-like improvisations.

Coe recounts this as "one of my very best performances, which would not have been possible without a partner who is one of the finest jazz pianists in the world." The respect from Horler is mutual, with him noting, "Tony was such a great player that it took some time for me to realise that I could play a bit too..."

Their trust in each other, in the music, and in the moment, rings true with this live performance 'Dancing in the Dark', which finally sees the light of day on LP, CD, and Digital this summer. The record was produced, engineered and mixed by renowned bassist Andy Cleyndert, and will also feature liner notes from award-winning critic Dave Gelly MBE, as well as two-time Academy Award nominated film director, screenwriter, and composer, Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas, Internal Affairs).

Alongside today’s announcement, the duo have shared the second track to be released from the album “Night and Day” - reinterpretation of the standard by composer Cole Porter.