Here’s an artist that is a blue plate special for mainstream trio lovers. Pianist Laura Dubin is still under the radar, but this two disc recording of a July, 2016 gig shows that she has much to offer. She leads a trio with Kieran Hanlon/b and Antonio H. Guerrero/dr through a mix of jazz standards and originals, and she sounds alluring and flexible on all fronts.
She shows her bop and swing chops on pieces like “This Could Be The Start of Something Big” and “Something’s Cookin’” and is both charming and chiming with her wide handed stride on “Handful of Keys.” She knows how to bear down with Guerrero on the assertive medley “Le Tombeu de Couperin/My Favorite Things” as well as use silence as a note during the impressionistic “Reflets dans l’eau/Our Love is here to Stay.” Her touch exudes both confidence and clarity on all moods; is she heading out to LA anytime soon?