Matt McMahon & Guy Strazz - 2 @ 1

"The recording quality of local albums continues to surge.You'd swear Guy Strazz was with you in the room playing the opening notes of this radiant album on his nylon string guitar.

That illusion is sustained when he's joined by pianist Matt McMahon, a regular in Strazz's fluid bands for the last decade. Thereafter these two - among the most lyrical players in the land
- concentrate on the unadorned beauty of melody.

Most of the repertoire is self-penned, ranging happily across the frontier where jazz greets influences from India, Brazil (including an exquisite solo piano reading of Milton Nascimento's
"Tarde") and West Africa (including a solo guitar ode to Ali Farka Toure).

There are tingling, trademark Strazz unison runs on "Silk Road", and a typically limpid McMahon melody on "Odysseus". It is easy for guitar and piano to trip over each other harmonically, but these two sing from the same hymn book."

John Shand  SMH Review 21/9/8

The debut release by two of Australia’s most acclaimed contemporary instrumentalists and bandleaders: guitarist Guy Strazz   and pianist Matt McMahon. The long time collaborators have released their debut album '2 @ 1' on our very own Birdland label.

Original compositions by both musicians + works by George Brooks and Milton Nascimento
Matt McMahon lays down his usual harmonic beauty, and melodic creativity on the piano, while Stazz counters him on a mixture of nylon, steel string and east-west guitars with beauty and controlled virtuosity.