2x88 Ready for Return Engagement At Workhouse

The axiom goes that it's better to be lucky than good. But it's best to be both. That's the story of 2x88, a dueling (in the best sense) piano duo comprised of Jim Wray and Hod O'Brien. First the lucky.

In the fall of 2008, Jim Wray, was playing piano at a wine tasting in a country store in his hometown of Batesville, Virginia. Wray had settled in Batesville with his wife, (who is a native of the town) after retiring from a career as a physicist and college professor. During the gig, Hod O'Brien walked in, and eventually took a seat at the piano, while Wray moved over to the melodica. Two hours later a memory and a partnership had been born. Another stroke of luck was that O'Brien and Wray lived less than five miles from each other.

Now, the good. Namely the guys playing the pianos. With over 125 years of music experience both Wray and O'Brien knew their way around a keyboard. But O'Brien is not just any veteran pianist. He was part of the Loft Scene in New York's SOHO District in the 1970s. He'd played alongside the likes of Stan Getz, Kenny Burrell and Chet Baker, to name but a few legends.

Wray, in addition to playing the piano, also played the trombone, an instrument that could make an appearance when 2x88 takes the stage Saturday at 1:45 as part of the Art, Wine and All That Festival at the Workhouse Arts Center. Even though he had a day job, he was always around music. "I've always thought of myself as a musician," Wray says.

Playing with someone as skilled as O'Brien is a special treat. "Hod is a legend and I'm so happy to be playing with him," Wray says. "I've really grown as a musician playing with him. We're looking to keep growing 2x88 and keep playing together as much as possible."

Calling Wray and O'Brien dueling pianists is a bit of misnomer of course. "We have really similar styles," Wray says. "We like to have a dialogue back and forth when we play, both musically and verbally."

Wray feels that audiences feed off the energy coming from 2x88. "It's exciting," he says. "We try to keep (the act) spontaneous and fun."

The show at Workhouse marks a return visit for 2x88. And Wray couldn't be happier. ""It's delightful to see the transformation that took place there. It's truly an arts center, too. I'm so glad we were invited back."

Who knows, maybe the Workhouse could someday be the setting for a live recording of 2x88? It's not as if it hasn't happened before.

The January after that initial meeting in Batesville, on New Year's Day 2009 to be exact, Wray and O'Brien played their first gig together. They subsequently turned that performance into a CD, which was released on Father's Day later that year. Two more albums followed, both released earlier this year, the first of which was entitled "Still Duelin'" a reference to the musicians shared status septuagenarians. The second was of a performance recorded at the Hammer Theatre.

You can listen to samples of 2x88 here.