If you like your jazz trios filled with lyricism and melody, you’ve got a friend here in Joe Hakim. It’s actually not quite a “trio” per se, as hakim p lays both piano and bass (not simultaneously) along with Matt Slocum’s conversational drums. The three way interplay on pieces such as “Ghosts And The Poet” and “Against The Waves” demonstrate a romantic touch on the piano ivories as well as a La Faro-like extrapolation on the bass. There is enough room for improvisation on material such as “The Road Behind Us” and “Unbroken” but the excursions feel more a part of an organic whole, and not just a simple “mow, blow and go” run through the changes. Hakim’s craft with a pen on “As You Were” suggest and almost orchestral approach to the piano, as Slocum directs and responds with symbiotic work on the drums and cymbals. Hints of modern piano romancers like Evans and Jarrett pop up occasionally, but Hakim’s touch is actually all his own, and it’s one worth listening to.