When the French/Haitian vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant played Ronnie Scott’s recently, her young pianist, Aaron Diehl, proved himself a true soulmate in similarly preferring creative makeovers of the standard-song and swing tradition over the rap-inflected, groove-twisting methods of much new jazz. Diehl’s growing stature is confirmed by the presence of two revered senior guests, with former Duke Ellington baritone saxophonist Joe Temperley and tenorist and composer Benny Golson adding their purring, casually exquisite lyricism to the accomplished ensemble. Diehl bows to Art Blakey on the staccato (and then slinky) Uranus, sets Temperley’s lustrous sound quivering on the Ellingtonesque The Steadfast Titan and draws album-highlight solos from Golson on the suite-like Organic Consequence and fellow saxist Stephen Riley on the bolero Kat’s Dance. The title track is a bluesy feature: serene singer Charenee Wade’s mix of earthiness and Betty Carter-inspired improv, trumpeter Bruce Harris’s bristling classic-bop break and Golson’s graceful tenor solo wind up an apt session for seekers of a traditional jazz sound with a sophisticated contemporary spin.
