American drummer Terri Lyne Carrington won a Grammy in 2011 for the Mosaic Project, an ambitious vehicle for a powerful cast of influential women in jazz. The eminent guests here include Lizz Wright, Chaka Khan and even the great Nancy Wilson among the singers, and pianist Geri Allen and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen in the band.
Though the agenda may stray too far toward pop and R&B for Carrington’s jazz admirers, the music is heartfelt, expertly played and moving. Tineke Postma’s soprano sax twists around Chaka Khan’s soaring account of I’m a Fool to Want You, and septuagenarian Wilson’s Imagine This has an effortlessly graceful matter-of-factness; her voice seems made for Carrington’s Fender Rhodes and quietly funky arrangement. Lalah Hathaway’s deep-toned This Too Will Pass opens beautifully, even if the arrangement eventually sounds generic. Over-production reduces the spontaneous feel the original Mosaic Project had, but, for lovers of soul and R&B with classy jazz tweaks, it’s perfect.
