The Stone Set - Conversations

The Stone Set: Conversations was released in 2011 on the New Artists label, a boutique imprint founded by Connie Crothers to document the evolution of free jazz and improvised music. This project captures a series of intimate, spontaneous piano duets between Crothers and fellow pianist Bill Payne. The album emerges from the tradition of the Lennie Tristano school of jazz, which emphasizes rigorous harmonic exploration and fluid, linear improvisation, serving as a testament to the decades-long creative rapport between the two musicians.

The design of the album reflects the minimalist, artist-driven aesthetic characteristic of the New Artists catalog. By focusing on the structural interplay of two pianos, the recording avoids over-production to preserve the raw, conversational texture of the performance. Critics and listeners within the avant-garde jazz community received the set as a subtle but profound contribution to the duo-piano idiom, noting how the interplay demonstrates a rare, telepathic connection built on years of shared musical language.