Other deconstructed standards brought cheers in the second set, including a majestic "It Was a Very Good Year," highlighted by deeply resonant toms and arco bass lines, and Germanson's rich chord structures that suggested how Van Cliburn might approach jazz. "Angel Eyes" featured the particularly effective, deep vibrato of Terry Burns, while "Surrey With the Fringe on Top" was quickly dismantled from the start and featured a stellar call-and-response between piano and bass. Germanson's arrangement provided enough melody to follow the line but sufficient abstraction to constantly provoke his fellow musicians to add new layers of harmony and rhythm. As Bill Donaldson (Cadence) notes, "Without ostentation and with clearly conceived logic... Germanson makes clear to his listeners the narratives of his music. Indeed, one of Germanson's trademarks seems to be his transitioning between tempos to add interest to his arrangements."

But it was Germanson's own compositions that brought his AQ gig to the "heights" of modern jazz: "Smokehouse Blues" (on the CD as well) is a sophisticated, swinging blues worthy of Oscar Peterson at his best and inspiring fire in his bandmates; "Daytona" indeed was like a great stockcar race that tore up and down the full keyboard, featuring both densely developed structures and fleeting staccato passages; the very lyrical "Shorter Waltz" (inspired by Wayne Shorter) again featured the glistening brushes of Kenny Horst; "In the Cut" tipped a hand to Bobby Timmon's "Moanin'" with a bluesy swing, with Terry Burns putting on a master class for aspiring bassists; "Dance of the Forgotten" (to be included on the next CD) echoed a Latin groove.

A special treat Saturday night was the appearance at the end of the second set of exciting young trumpter Zack Lozier, a past winner of the Vail Jazz Scholarship and recent member of the Jack Brass Band of New Orleans. I have a hunch that Lozier hung around to play the third set but I had reached my quota of waking hours by midnight.

In the company of bassist John Webber, drummer George Fludas, and old pals Brian Lynch (trumpet) and Luis Diaz (percussion), Germanson's freshman recording, Heights, is as good as it gets in mainstream modernism, featuring five original compositions and dynamic revisions of Miles Davis' "Tune Up," Rogers' and Hart's "Lover," and Monk's "Pannonica." Lynch shines throughout, especially on Germanson's montuno tinged "Game Theory." Latin influences surface frequently, with a gentle samba breeze filling the title track, a touch of Brazil kissing his arrangement of "Pannonica," and "April Mambo" (based on "I'll Remember April") living up to its name in spades, and again showcasing Lynch. "Lover" displays widely shifting tempos and dynamics, while "Susan's Waltz" is a laid-back meander of Evanescent lyricism punctuated by Lynch's romantic horn. Fuldas, Diaz, and Webber provide stellar support throughout, with the latter particularly contributing to the Latin vibe on "Pannonica."

Live or on record, Rick Germanson "performs with delicate grace...using just the right touch to evoke a variety of textures" (Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz). This is a musician who deserves a wide audience, a performer, composer and arranger whose harmonic and rhythmic inventions bring him to the Heights of his generation.

On tour with Rick Germanson: October 21 with the Dave Gibson Quartet in NYC at Kavehaz (www.kavehaz.com); with Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band: November 2-7 at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago (http://jazz-showcase.com); November 8-9 at the Dakota in Minneapolis; November 13 at the Cape May (NJ) Jazz Festival (www.capemayjazz.com).