Once known as a sideman for Wynton Marsalis, pianist Eric Reed has now become one of the elder statesmen of jazz, ranked along with the likes of Cedar Walton, Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Barron as one of the most lyrical hard bop pianists. This latest release has him stretching things out a bit on one aspect, yet showing a more reflective color on the other. Except for the upbeat and bouncy take of Thelonious Monk’s “Ugly Beauty”, the focus is on melodic reflections. There are a pair of voice and piano duets that are intimate flickers of candle light. Rich baritone Calvin B Rhone gives a warm gospel feel to “Lean On Me” while tenor toned David Daughtry is expressive and elastic on an evocative “Pastime Paradise”. On his own, Reed strides right on the title tune, while in trio form he is soft on “Infant Eyes”, gentle around Reggie Quinerly’s brushes on “I Got It Bad” and classy as he veers around Luca Alemanno’s bass for “Christina”. Even the usually strutting “Along Came Betty” is in pastel form, while the blues of “One For E” is a thin brush of water color. The feel of a casual second set, just before the chairs are stacked up.