Daniel Carter & Reuben Radding

Every reviewer is bound to start a review of this duo’s record by stating that necessity is the mother of all inventions. True, Daniel Carter was literally forced to play alto saxophone exclusively on this recording due to travel restrictions imposed by Sept. 11. In all honesty, who cares? The important bit is that he is one half of this magnificent duo. His partner is bassist Reuben Radding, who of all things creates a fellowship with Carter from the first minute of this CD. Kinship can be defined as having a common goal, believing in similar issues. If that’s the case, Luminescence presents a clear path, where the hearts of these two individuals melt in one pot. The record is overwhelmingly subtle at every turn. There are no bursts of sudden energy boiling at the surface. There are no chaotic refrains. There is only solitude that permeates the listener’s ears. Reuben’s bass lines are always in sync with Daniel’s gentle blows into his alto sax. There is no disagreement or conflict. Tension is never present, for that would ruin the whole project. Luminescence is a record that I visit whenever chaos has turned my day upside down. It truly restores a sense of beauty and wonder into the anarchy that rules this world.