When these two were reunited in 1976, they could look back at a long musical history together. In 1940 a young London pianist by the name of George Shearing stepped into the band of violinist Stéphane Grappelli. Grapelli was 11 years older than Shearing, and already an international star. It was Shearing’s ticket to success. Three and a half decades later their paths once again crossed. There are spirited versions of standards that Shearing and Grappelli tackle with a youthful freshness, despite (or perhaps because of) their age, and Shearing’s trio members Andy Simpkins (b) and Rusty Jones (drs) provide perfect support. In such moderate-tempo numbers as I’m Coming Virginia and Too Marvelous for Words, the band swings with a supple elegance, and Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing, carries the listener along with its fantastic improvisational flow. Grappelli amazes with his nuanced embellishments and glissandi (especially impressive in Making Whoopee). Shearing’s inventiveness breaks down stylistic barriers, as in, for example, his Debussy-like intro on Flamengo, just as Grappelli’s composition La Chanson de Rue overwhelms with its tender passion.