Jammin’ At The Jazz Corner •••
Ali Reyerson, Sweet Jazz Recordings
This finely-tuned, live jazz album (from Hilton Head Island) is delivered with crisp, enigmatic and single-minded performances from like-minded musicians and features Ali Reyerson (flute and alto flute), Howard Paul (guitar), George Sheck (bass) and special guest Bob Masteller (fluegelbone) on “Just Friends.” The logical motivation for most jazz performers is that if the music is expressive, organic, free-flowing and heartwarming, then everyone should enjoy it. Maybe yes, maybe no, depending on whether the mood is right.

On “Body & Soul” and “Lullaby of Birdland,” the tapestry of the music runs like a river along canyons and rising slopes into the wide open spaces of our mind. On “Just Friends,” Mr. Masteller’s fluegelbone hints at the sounds of a street festival somewhere nice and warm. When I listen to music like this, I know that jazz is the essence of creativity, as important as any modern day discovery to the quality of our lives.

Just Around The Corner •••
Eric Marienthal, Concord Records
Saxophonist Eric Marienthal’s latest album is easy listening music for a variety of settings -- dining, exercising, nighttime activities, or an early morning outing in the country. His style of saxophone playing is what makes “smooth jazz” so infectious and down right sweet, from the opening track, “Blue Water,” a quick-step, hip shaking, head-nodding piece, to the deliciously sexy and captivating “I Believe In You,” and “Lost Without You,” followed up with some free-style Latin pieces “Dance With Me,” and “Your Move.”

Lavish •••
Soul Ballet, Artizen Music Group
The word “lavish” is an understatement for this music. It comes gushing out from Soul Ballet’s gold glittered, love-making body and shimmers with intoxicating pleasure. The 28 seconds of the first track send you on a safari adventure to some exotic, sun-filled island with lots of desirable surprises, if you know what I mean. This is music for celebrating your freedom, for having fun, for walking on the beach under the stars. Trust me. These musicians are offering you something special to enjoy. Take a ride on the wild side and listen to “Tuscan Chica,” and “Luv’ll Find A Way,” and get that “Cheshire cat smile” on your face for that last fling with “MidNITE CruZ’N” and “the Cool Down.”

World Music
Mujer de Cabaret ••••
Puerto Plata, iAso Records
According the liner notes “Puerto Plata’s Mujer de Cabaret will take you back to the golden age Dominican guitar music.” Lovers of the Gypsy Kings will want to grab this album. Fiery, tempestuous, sensuous and intoxicatingly rich of Latin flavors, “Mujer de Cabaret” is the Dominican answer to the French cabaret style music. Recorded live, the sones, boleros, and meringues that are performed here are a testament to a time gone but not forgotten, of serenades, carousing and revelry. Mr. Plata’s sweet nostalgic voice is accompanied on requinto by two of the Dominican Republic’s finest musicians, guitarists Edilio Paredes and Frank Mendez. Also performing are guitarists Martin Lavale and Rafael Olivares, José Luis Gomez (bass), Gabriel Machado (bongo), Raul Bier (bongo, tambora), Azote (tambora), Milciades Durán (guira), Daniel Luna (guira), and Jesús Alvarez (maracas).

Vieux Farka Toure •••
Vieux Farka Toure, Harmonia Mundi
This debut album from Vieux Farka Touré, son of late Ali Farka Touré, delivers the same poignant guitar-style playing as his father’s. Two fine examples, “Tabara” and “Diallo” both feature the legendary Ali Farka Touré and offered some of the best music on the album. Other highlights include “Touré de Niafunké” and “Diabate” featuring Toumani Diabaté. This is an album to be enjoyed but also that begs us not to forget Africa and its dying population. Buy this album and you too can help fight the cause of death among young children in Africa, where disease like malaria kills a child every minute.

Classical
Ludwig van Beethoven
The Piano Sonatas ••••
András Schiff, ECM
András Schiff’s exploration of Beethoven’s piano sonatas makes for a wonderfully journalistic reading for the listener to enjoy a great artist’s works. Listening to this music, one knows for sure that music is just as important a healing resource in our lives as any great discovery — evolution, relativity theory, medical breakthroughs, or more recently, the emergence of computers and the Internet. Music is one of the many strings that connect us all together in our universe. And so it is with Mr. Schiff’s interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas on this double CD. It is truly a musical gift that reminds us all that we are more than what meets our eyes. Our world is one of great mystery and excitement that needs to be discovered through our many different connections and our reality. Music of this kind can help us do just that. It is simply heroic and majestic in its appeal to all of us. Enjoy it.

All CDs reviewed in this article are heard through Bowers & Wilkens 802D Speakers and ASW 4000 subwoofer, and Rotel Preamp 1070, amplifier 1092 and CD player1072. For more information about this column, please email your questions to fagon@hillrag.com