This charming collection of duets features the bass of Rob Wasserman in a variety of different roles, from supportive to lead to orchestral. With the exception of Stephane Grappelli's violin, Lou Reed's guitar and Rickie Lee Jones' guitar and bells/percussion, every sound on this album is bass and voice, demonstrating that these two musical forces can be everything by themselves.

The names of Johann Sebastian Bach, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff do not necessarily conjure images and sounds of jazz in one's mind, that is until one has listened to recordings by the Classical Jazz Quartet. Although these musicians utilize the same instruments as the Modern Jazz Quartet, they are in no way clones or copycats of that groundbreaking group. They have very much their own sound and style. This is not surprising given the huge talent of the musicians involved; all four are virtuosos on their respective instruments. The themes, although composed in a different time and place, become excellent vehicles for complex, sometimes, bluesy, often swinging and always fresh improvisations in the hands of these musicians.

John Lee and Gerry Brown's Blue Note debut pairs the duo with producer Skip Drinkwater, who strips their fusion approach to its bare essentials to create a moody, deeply funky sound that smolders with intensity. Bolstered by session aces spanning from Motown studio great Wah Wah Watson to Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, Mango Sunrise burns as slow and steady as a stick of dynamite – while Drinkwater's production is undeniably slick, it also eliminates the superfluous sounds and technical wankery that undermine so much of Lee and Brown's subsequent output.

Although not yet an innovator himself, Benny Green has managed to combine the styles of Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Gene Harris, and especially Oscar Peterson in his playing; his fast octave runs are often wondrous. He grew up in Berkeley and played as a teenager with Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw. After moving to New York, he spent important periods with Betty Carter (1983-1987) and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1987-1989), becoming quite well-known during the latter association. In addition to working with Freddie Hubbard, Green popped up in many bop-oriented settings for a few years before joining Ray Brown's Trio in 1992. At the same time, he has worked with his own trio, which originally included Christian McBride and Carl Allen…

The second of the three-part Soul Gestures in Southern Blue finds Wynton Marsalis at a transitional spot in his career. While his pianist Marcus Roberts had largely found his own style, the trumpeter was still searching and had not yet thrown off the dominant Miles Davis influence. This quintet outing (which also features the tenor of Todd Williams, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Herlin Riley) lacks any memorable melodies, although the playing is fine.

Francesco Cafiso has caught the attention of numerous critics since veteran writer Ira Gitler raved about the then-13-year-old alto saxophonist's stunning performance with pianist Franco D'Andrea at the Pescara Jazz Festival in 2002. This CD, recorded in the U.S. for a Japanese label with a seasoned American rhythm section, marks a series of firsts for Cafiso: his initial recording outside of his Italian homeland, plus his debut for a non-Italian label and first record date playing (though hardly his first performance) with American jazz musicians. With pianist David Hazeltine, bassist David Williams, and drummer Joe Farnsworth providing terrific support, Cafiso digs into a program filled with typical favorite standards, jazz compositions, and one bossa nova, sounding surprisingly mature and confident, as he was only 16 at the time of the sessions. The young man is still finding his voice on the instrument, but he is a natural who obviously has spent many an hour honing his craft before entering the studio. Highlights include a loping treatment of "Lullaby of Birdland," a passionate, extended treatment of "Estate" and a Phil Woods-like arrangement of "Willow Weep for Me" in which the rhythm section incorporates a bit of Miles Davis' "All Blues" behind his solo. Highly recommended!

Yamanaka studied at the Berklee College of Music and is an alumna of the Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead residency program. She has played and recorded with the New York-based DIVA Jazz Orchestra, led by Sherrie Maricle, but is best known for her small group recordings, which are typically trios and have featured bassists such as Larry Grenadier and Robert Hurst, and drummers such as Jeff Ballard and Jeff "Tain" Watts.