Not many singers can boast US military clearance, but that’s just part of the allure of Army trained Alexis Cole, serving on the musical front lines here with an all star big band conducted by Jeff Jarves and including guest such as Bob Sheppard/ts Derrick James/as, and Derrick James/as. Cole’s voice is strong and confident as she bops to “Joy “ and swings hard to pianist Alex Flavel on “How I Wish”. She slinks well into the dark shadows on “How Long Has This Been Going On” and is husky on the well pulsed glide of “All Blues”. She’s soft and sensuous gliding along during “Estate” and does some nice work re-interpreting The Beatles’ “Across The Universe” as she’s surrounded by dreamy woodwinds. She shows that she can flex her muscles around the rolling sax section of “Our Love Is Here To Stay”, and closes things up with an intimate read with pianist Jaehun Kang on an intimate “American Anthem”. Worthy of a salute.