For a pianist, there’s a world of difference between playing with the bass and drums support of a jazz trio and launching oneself into space unaccompanied. Zoe Rahman has often done it before live audiences, but this is her first recorded solo flight. Jazz is only one element in the music she creates, but there’s a sonorous depth in her playing that I always associate with Duke Ellington. In fact, there’s a gorgeous version here of his piece, A Single Petal of a Rose. But most of the 14 tracks are her own compositions, notably the catchy Red Squirrel and the spacious J’Berg, and they add up to an exciting set, brilliantly performed and totally absorbing.
