Ever since Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines perfected the art of the jazz duo in the late 1920s, this intimate, creative setting has held a special place in the hearts of players and listeners. Pianist Sullivan Fortner and vibraphonist Kyle Athayde take all of that on board when they venture their own duo, playing mainly well-loved standards with tremendous technical polish and personality. The sound is like an IMAX film for the ears: the blend and resonance of two percussive yet surpassingly melodic instruments, the gracefully falling weight of Athayde’s mallets, Fortner’s sprightly attack and unstoppable rhythm captured in a big-sounding room. A master accompanist to Cécile McLorin Salvant, Fortner lays claim to a wide swath of jazz piano history whenever he sits down to play. His approaches on two Duke Ellington tunes (“Warm Valley”, “Jump for Joy”) and the old-school piano showpiece “Tea for Two” are deep in the tradition but irrepressibly his own. Another thing to marvel at: Vibraphone is just one of Athayde’s many instruments.