The tenor of Melissa Aldana fits right in here with the contemporary sound of Blue Note – especially given that labelmate Lage Lund is on guitar, and has a way of folding together all the tones from his strings very nicely next to the sharper edges of Aldana's tenor! The set begins with a dedication to Wayne Shorter – and that number maybe really sets the spirit of the album – as Melissa has a way of phrasing that's equally distinct, and very much her own – soulful and modern at the same time, set up in a quintet that also includes Fabian Almazan on piano, Pablo Menares on bass, and Kush Abadey on drums. Titles include "Echoes Of The Inner Prophet", "A Purpose", "I Know You Know", "The Solitary Seeker", "Unconscious Whispers", and "A Story". CD

Tenorist Melissa Aldana is no newcomer to jazz, but this Blue Note debut really seems to open up a special sort of sound in her music – a mode that's both deeper and more sensitive, and filled with a really rich sense of color and tone! A key musical partner on the date is guitarist Lage Lund – whose sense of sound really balances the bolder notes from Aldana – as does his fluid sense of rhythm, which is accentuated by the bass of Pablo Menares and drums of Kush Abadey. Sullivan Fortner handles the keys – both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes – and punctuates the proceedings in all the right ways, almost providing these footholds as Melissa soars on tenor. Titles include "Emilia", "The Bluest Eye", "The Fool", "Lost Ojos De Chile", "Intuition", and "Falling". CD

Renee Rosnes on piano, Cecile McLorin Salvant on vocals, Anat Cohen on clarinet and bass clarinet, Melissa Aldana on tenor, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Noriko Ueda on bass, and Allison Miller on drums. CD