“MY SHIP.” MPS 8216664-2 (CD). “MORE GRAND...

“MY SHIP.” MPS 8216664-2 (CD). “MORE GRAND PIANO.” Concord Jazz CJ318. George Shearing. Both the CD (made in Germany in 1974) and the newly taped LP were recorded on nonpareil pianos by the veteran virtuoso, playing standard songs, many of which he elevates to a level of harmonic and rhythmic subtlety above and beyond what the composer themselves had in mind. On the CD are touches of Tatum in “Yesterdays” and “Tenderly,” a soupcon of Erroll Garner and an easy swing in the upstream update of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer.” Forget about the waterfall effects in “My Ship” and the use of a “Marseillaise” introduction to “April in Paris.” They’re forgivable flaws in a 4 1/2-star set.

The Garner influence is stronger in the Concord set, on “Dream” and “My Silent Love.” The bass line in “Ramona” suggests a hint of Satie. Claude Thornhill’s exquisite “Snowfall” is ingeniously interwoven with Berlin’s “Change Partners.” For pianophiles, 41 minutes of sheer bliss. 5 stars.

“FI FI GOES TO HEAVEN.” JoAnne Brackeen. Concord Jazz CJ 316. After a long series of trio and solo albums, this brilliant pianist is well served by a quintet with Terence Blanchard on trumpet and Branford Marsalis on alto and soprano saxes. Four of the seven pieces are her own. “Estilo Magnifico,” with its odd shifts of meter and melody, and the Ornette Colemanesque 1960s-style chaos of “Cosmonaut” are admirable vehicles for all hands. The title tune (what other album was ever named for a deceased Yorkie?) actually begins with a bark and includes a nursery rhyme quote, but Brackeen isn’t kidding in most of her solos on this invigorating set. She even offers some new thoughts on “Stardust,” sharing the footage with a cautious Blanchard, who had probably never played it before. Impeccable support by Cecil McBee’s bass and Al Foster’s drums. 4 stars.

“MARLENE VERPLANCK SINGS ALEC WILDER.” Audiophile AP 218. VerPlanck has a unique background as a back-up singer for just about everyone and as a jingle maker for Winstons, McDonald’s, Campbell’s and scores more. Her emergence from the studio world has provided us with a luminous presence. She is, as many East Coast observers have long known, a peerless performer of quality songs, among which Wilder’s (“I’ll Be Around,” “Give Me Time,” “The Lady Sings the Blues”) are too often neglected. Wilder wrote the melodies and, in two cases, the lyrics, though most of the words were provided by VerPlanck’s pianist, Loonis McGlohon, or by William Engvick. The treatments are respectful, not jazz-decorated but gently appealing, with an effectively simple rhythm section backing. Fine production, with album notes by Engvick, Marian McPartland and other admirers, one of whom rightly calls VerPlanck a singer’s singer and Wilder a musician’s composer. 4 stars.

“TO DUKE AND BASIE.” Clark Terry and Red Mitchell. Enja 5011. What’s going on here? Billy Strayhorn’s lovely melody “Lotus Blossom” has acquired a new sole-composer credit, B. Jones (who he?), a new title and lyric, “Thanks for Everything,” feebly sung (and no doubt written) by Red Mitchell, who should stick to the bass (or piano, which he plays on this track). For the rest, it’s a pleasant enough duo album, with Terry doing his muted-trumpet-in-one-hand-fluegelhorn-in-the-other trick, dueting with himself on “C Jam Blues.” There’s also a “Mumbles” tune on which both men sing amusingly. Recorded last year in Stockholm, where Mitchell lives, this could have used a little more support. 2 1/2 stars.

“CROSSING OVER THE BRIDGE.” John Dankworth. MCA D 5932. Dankworth conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in “Sing Sing Sing,” a Benny Goodman rip-off with dated drumming and phrasing; “Every Time We Say Goodbye,” a fine framework for Ronnie Scott’s tenor sax, and “The Shadow of Your Smile,” with Dankworth in good form on alto. But his sense of humor fails him for once in “Further Experiments With Mice,” a too-cute variation on “Three Blind Mice,” with a pun-heavy narration. “African Waltz” is just as terrible a tune today as it was when it won a Grammy as best jazz composition in 1961. On the whole, not very Dankworth. 2 1/2 stars.