ALBUM REVIEWS : A Stylish Tribute to McRae

*** 1/2 Vanessa Rubin, “I’m Glad There Is You,” Novus. Subtitled “A Tribute to Carmen McRae,” this is a stylish, well-programmed set. Although Rubin makes no attempt to imitate her idol, there is a slight resemblance here and there, in tone and phrasing. With material such as Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite,” Thad Jones’s “A Child Is Born” and Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” and with numerous guest soloists (Kenny Burrell, Grover Washington, Frank Foster), Rubin had a fail-safe project here.

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*** Joe Wilder, “No Greater Love,” Evening Star. Long hidden in New York studio work, the trumpeter makes a welcome jazz reappearance, with considerable help from pianist Bobby Tucker and James Chirillo on guitar. The program is a well-diversified mix of sextet, trio and duet numbers, ranging from Benny Carter’s “The Courtship,” with saxophonist Seldon Powell switching to flute, and “Thinking of Lady,” a touching tribute to Billie Holiday. The album would have been even better had Wilder displayed more of his elegant open-horn style instead of using the mute.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).