Blind Pursuits
Jim Staley with Phoebe Legre and Borah Bergman (EIN-011/CD)

Blind Pursuits features Jim Staley performing in alternating duets with Phoebe Legere and Borah Bergman. Vocalist and accordianist Legere, has been declared royalty in the clubs of Downtown NYC, a classically trained musician and composer, she is a freewheeling iconoclast who performs her original songs in a voice that blurs the lines between opera, jazz, pop and avant-garde. Stephen Holden of the New York Times compares her to "Ima Sumac, Patsy Cline and Maria Callas." Borah Bergman is a pianist of unbounded energy and focus who has developed the unique technique of ambideation -- complete ambidextarity -- the resulting effect recalls the "two pianists" illusion (made famous by Art Tatum). A powerful soloist Bergman has also recorded with Peter Brotzmann, Andrew Cyrille, Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker and Rashied Ali among others.

"...this album is one of the best examples of his (Staley's) work. A clear contender for anyones top ten list for 1999" (Cadence).