Pianist/composer Helen Sung got my attention a couple years ago with a warm album with Marcus Strickland (Songbird), but this one is even better. She’s got a warm touch on the piano and delves here on the electric keyboard as well. The core trio of Reuben Rogers/dr and Obed Calvaire/b is shown to great effect, with exciting interplay and an emphasis on Calvaier’s alacrity on pieces such as on Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” Sung also dispays some spacious touches on her solo outing, with a lovely tactile sense on “Equipose.” A front line of Seamus Blake/ts-ss and Ingrid Jensen/tp creates hard bop heaven on the assertive “Brother Theloious” and the frisky “Chaos Theory” while Pacquito D’Rivera’s clarinets adds charm to Chick Corea’s sensuous “Armando’s Rhumba” and violinist Regina Carter adds a breezy fragrance to Sung’s own “Hidden” and then a surprisingly attractive “Never Let Me Go.” Sung has a clever approach to putting a piece together, with little deft surprises here and there such as an inviting intro to “Epistrophy.” She keeps you guessing, and enjoying the results.
Concord Records