The trumpeter Ron Miles and the guitarist Bill Frisell have one of these relationships, stretching back at least a dozen years. Each has appeared on the other's albums, and in 2002 they made a quietly sublime duo record, Heaven. For a few nights last week they also shared a stage at the Jazz Standard, in a flexible quartet under Mr. Miles's direction. On Thursday, closing out the engagement, they confirmed the strength of their rapport.
Both musicians can be counted on to express a spirit of harmonious introspection. The set's opener, Unconditional," a drifting waltz by Mr. Miles, presented some warm and characteristic beauty, along with a deceptively simple form. Soloing on cornet, Mr. Miles was lyrical and sensible, conjugating his ideas in an easy flow, one phrase at a time. Mr. Frisell accompanied him intently: more than once he landed on an unusual chord at the precise moment that Mr. Miles needed it to bolster a melodic whim.
The quartet's attentive other half created necessary ballast. Though not a regular rhythm team, the bassist Reginald Veal and the drummer Matt Wilson worked sturdily together, bringing a sense of earthy proportion to Mr. Miles's summery compositions. Their most engaging work, though, came on a pair of crisply swinging jazz tunes: Wig Wise," by Duke Ellington, and Criss Cross," by Thelonious Monk.