He's nearly 80 now and Ahmad Jamal shows no signs of slowing down, either in live performance or recorded output. Following up his 2008 gem It's Magic, Jamal again finds magic with long-time cohorts bassist James Cammack and percussionist Manolo Badrena and first-time associate, veteran drummer Kenny Washington. With 9 original compositions from the past decade, an incomparable reading of I Hear a Rhapsody, and a colorful cover of Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly," the title A Quiet Time should not be presumed to refer to a downturn in either the pianist's attitude or altitude, but rather to the relaxed feel of the collaboration. This is a less spacious, more active Jamal than his early style, yet space is still a commodity that he treats with respect, his touch on the piano often akin to delicately stroking a cat yet never lacking self assurance. 

The title track offers a microcosm of the full recording. A rather ominous vamp marks the beginning before falling into a relaxed but never complacent rhythm, Jamal maintaining some tension and surprise with unexpected pauses, lacey trills and runs, little touches of samba in his chords patterns, and dramatic changes in tempo. Cammack providing both rhythmic and melodic counterpoint.  The bassist's bouncing lines also contrast beautifully with Jamal's hesitant grace and trilling fills on "The Love Is Lost."  "Poetry" has some serious hesitations in its opening rhythms and finds Jamal traversing the full keyboard with deep swells and gentle recessions, dark bass lines, Washington adding filigree tingles on the cymbals and snare.  "My Inspiration" is filled with sweet melodic lines and lush arpeggios, a study in subtle dynamic shifts and Jamal's trademark, slightly delayed final note that comes as well planned after-thought. "Tranquility" is anything but, Cammack setting a dark but brisk pace while Jamal swings with a mild-mannered ferocity, interspersing delicately assertive runs with emphatic chord clusters. 

Of the two covers, "Hi Fly" starts with drum and percussion front and center, Washington providing variants of press roll accents while Cammack teases with bold phrases. But the master of surprise and energy is Jamal, making even the final vamp passage as artful as a classic melody. This version of "I Hear a Rhapsody" is possibly the most exquisite rendition ever recorded, luxuriously building toward the theme and then gently blossoming in layers of chords and majestic phrases, buoyed by Cammack's rich and forthright basslines. 

Badrena's percussion arsenal washes much of the recording in tropical rhythms, making one ask if the opening "Paris After Dark" is actually twilight in Rio. So, too, "Flight to Russia" suggests a more southbound journey. Kenny Washington is simply elegant throughout, particularly on his deep mallet beats on the bass tom--particularly listen to is work on the gorgeous "The Blooming Flower." 

Like fine wine and classic jazz, Ahmad Jamal seems to only improve with age.

Young drummer Matt Slocum already has a formidable resume--a scholarship to the Thornton School of Music at USC; a student of Phil Hey, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, John Clayton, Joe LaBarbara and Shelly Berg; touring with rising star vocalist Sara Gazarek; and recent associations with Seamus Blake, Alan Broadbent, Bill Cunliffe, Larry Koonse, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Sheppard, Gerald Wiggins and Anthony Wilson. A budding master of composition as well as percussion, Slocum brings both talents to his debut recording, Portraits, released this month on Chandra Records. And the drummer is not the only young lion in the studio--Slocum's cohorts include pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Massimo Biolcati, and varying combinations of saxophonists Walter Smith III, Jaleel Shaw, and Dayna Stephens. "The music was written with these gentlemen and their unique musical personalities in mind," notes Slocum, "as a way to document this music and to provide a snapshot of this group of special musicians and friends." Eight of the nine tracks are Slocum originals. 

Portraits is a collection of often delicate ballads and mid-tempo adventures, with four tracks featuring one (or two) of the saxes, and Clayton sitting out on two tracks, turning over the melodic compass to the horns. The drummer's melodic heart is evident throughout: The gentle "Cambria" highlights the grace of Clayton's piano, the lush tone of Biolcati, a slow dance that suggests Abdullah Ibrahim or Lynne Arriale. "For Alin" is another delicate pleasure, starting out as solo piano, and continuing as an elegant interaction among the trio. The title track swings at a midtempo, perhaps the finest example here of the collaboration among a tightly-bonded piano trio that makes extensive use of dynamic variation.  

Slocum as composer  and percussionist brings forth intriguing ideas, particularly on tracks such as "Shadows" where shifting moods, rhythms and colors create an air of suspense. The well-titled "Illusions and Delusions" feels like "Round Midnight" stretched into to the wee hours of morning, Biolcati's basslines magnificently brooding while Dayna Stephens' tenor sax adds some quivers that raise goosebumps. The melodic interplay of  "Seven Stars" features two saxophones, Shaw on alto and Stephens on tenor, the horns weaving a lush line of sonic braid. "Avenida del Paraiso" closes the album south of the border, Biolcati's dancing basslines at the fore, Clayton subtly dazzling, Slocum a portrait of elegant restraint. 

The two piano-less tracks, Slocum's "Homage" and Ellington's "Day Dream," highlight young lion Walter Smith III on tenor. On the opening "Homage"  Biolcati's probing, bass pulsates from below ground level; Slocum rumbles without intruding, while Smith climbs up and down as if testing out a spiral staircase.  Yet it's "Day Dream," with slithering sax, sultry basslines and resonant mallet solo, that by itself provides ample reason to check out this recording. 

Matt Slocum is more than a rising star drummer--he is a composer of startling melodic sophistication. Portraits is just the beginning.

Michael Pagán’s new trio release reminds me that there are very likely to be some diamonds in the haystack of new CDs piling up on my office floor. Only bassist Bob Bowman, once on tour with Karrin Allyson, was a familiar name. Currently on the faculty of the University of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory and a native Ohioan, Pagán undeservedly flies below the national jazz radar. This is as masterful a piano trio effort as one can hear, anywhere, covering thoughtful ballads, midtempo swing, and the gorgeous original title track. From the first lyrical notes of “You Don’t Know What Love Is” to the last of the less familiar, equally lovely phrasing of Enrico Pieranunzi’s “Persona,” Pagán delivers with clarity, reverence for melody, harmonic choices that reflect a broad emotional palette, and luxurious spaces that allow each note to breathe fully. Bassist Bowman is a perfect foil and artful soloist throughout, drummer Ray DeMarchi a shimmering timekeeper. 

This one may be a sleeper, but it warrants full attention, wide awake. Given this treat, I think I will spend the weekend digging through that pile of “unknowns.” But it will be hard to find one to top Three for the Ages, or a title that so aptly fits the ensemble.