A Joni Mitchell-esque Breakthrough for Patricia Barber

Despite critical raves and a following of dedicated fans, Patricia Barber has not broken through to the level of public awareness achieved by such shooting stars as Diana Krall, Norah Jones and Jane Monheit.

It’s unlikely that she is overly concerned about the more visible competition, or that she would in any way diminish what she has to say to reach a larger audience. Even in her last album, “Nightclub” (released in 2000), a program of familiar standards, she transformed the songs through her multilayered aesthetics.

In her new CD, “Verse” (****, Blue Note), Barber traverses even more compelling territory with her first collection of all original material. It is a stunning musical accomplishment.

It may be the kiss of death to say that this remarkable recording is important, that it sets a level of creativity and musical quality that is beyond definition, even though it could only have come from the world of jazz. But hopefully not. Because there is so much to hear in this brilliant collection of songs, that it offers revelatory experiences with each repeated hearing.

In the past, I’ve questioned Barber’s over-generosity with her musicians, if only because she seemed at times to diminish her presence by offering them so much space. Here, however, accompanied by a sterling ensemble that includes the particularly vivid presence of guitarist Neal Alger and trumpeter David Douglas, Barber crafts their participation in a fashion that integrates every musical and lyrical element into a unified statement.

Barber has described the songs on “Verse” as her homage to Joni Mitchell. The link is understandable, given the artful blend of lyrics and music, the literary quality of the words, and the vantage point on relationships that ranges from dark longing to sardonic irony.

But there was never any doubt that Mitchell’s music grew from folk roots, enhanced by a perceptive ear for engaging harmonies. Barber, like Mitchell, enriches her words with metaphors that are intellectually and emotionally stimulating. A few examples from different songs: “If I were blue, like David Hockney’s pool”; “I could eat your words, melt objection with stimulation, simmer truth with prevarication”; “Syllogistically speaking, if ‘A’ is you and ‘B’ is me, logical progression will lead to ‘C.’ ”

But Barber’s melodic phrases, the arc of her melodies and the propulsiveness of her rhythms are the product of the musical sophistication of jazz.

Equally worth noting, although Barber’s piano work plays a modest role on the album, her solo on “You Gotta Go Home” firmly stands on its own as an improvisational expression, and other tunes--”Lost in This Love,” “Pieces” and “Regular Pleasures”--employ offbeat meters with coherence and logic.

Add to all of the above the intriguingly dark timbre of Barber’s low alto voice, and the way she remains in touch with the music while dipping into provocative thoughts and story lines, and the result is an exquisite, not-to-be-missed creative adventure.

In her description of the work, Barber writes that “the task of any artist is to create a ruthlessly individual vision of the art from the inside out.” With “Verse,” she has taken a giant step in that direction.

Barber’s not the only gifted vocalist with a new album. Here are a few others that have just arrived or are on the immediate horizon:

Karrin Allyson, “In Blue” (***, Concord Records). Allyson is a canny artist who wisely conceives of her recordings in thematic terms. Her recent CDs have included outings devoted to the music of John Coltrane, as well as a collection of songs in French, Italian and Portuguese.

This time out, she is focused on the blues and blues-related songs. At first thought, Allyson’s velvety textured, ingenue-innocent voice might not seem to be the best vehicle for numbers such as Oscar Brown Jr.’s “Long as You’re Living” and “Hum Drum Blues.” But by playing against type, she manages to bring the songs alive. When she’s singing tunes that fit more logically into her stylistic metier--Bobby Troup’s rarely heard “The Meaning of the Blues,” Joni Mitchell’s “Blue Motel Room,” Blossom Dearie’s gently swinging “Bye Bye Country Boy,” her atmospheric scat singing on “Angel Eyes”--Allyson once again affirms her status as a gifted artist with an omnivorous musical appetite.

Tuck & Patti, “Chocolate Moment” (***, T&P; Records). It’s never been quite clear why the married team of guitarist Tuck Andress and singer Patti Cathcart hasn’t attracted a larger following. Part of the problem may be their insistence on working as a duo of guitar and voice. For all of their ability to find colorful variations of sound and rhythm--intensified by Andress’ astonishing virtuosity--the combination has built-in limitations in sound and substance.

In the past, Tuck & Patti have been particularly successful with original takes on standard and current pop tunes. This time out, however--their first release on their own label--they have elected to go with all original material. That’s a demanding task for most performers, but the duo comes up with a number of impressive songs, some filtered through a vaguely country-like style. “Rejoice,” for example, manages to blend country and calypso qualities. On “Reverie,” Cathcart’s smoky bourbon sound flows easily through lush, jazz ballad harmonies, and on “Wildflower,” voice and guitar merge around sliding glissando string textures. (Tuck & Patti perform at Catalina’s on Monday night.)

Jenna Mammina, “Meant to Be” (***, Mamma Grace Records). The name’s probably not familiar, but Bay Area singer Mammina has been doing imaginative work for more than a decade. Like Allyson, her sound is light and airy--ranging toward a Blossom Dearie childlike quality on some numbers.

But there’s nothing immature about her interpretations or choice of material, and on some tunes she employs that sound to her advantage, as in a rendering of “Honeysuckle Rose” that calls up memories of Rose Murphy’s coy ‘50s version. Mammina’s other choices are amazingly far reaching: U2’s “Running to Stand Still,” Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work,” James Taylor’s “You Can Close Your Eyes,” as well as Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone” and Gordon & Warren’s “The More I See You.”

That’s a demanding selection of material, but Mammina delivers it well, respecting the original sources, yet placing her interpretations in appealing jazz settings. Toward that end, she is aided by players such as soprano saxophonist Paul McCandless, violinist Darol Anger, bassist James Genus, keyboardist Matt Rollings and others. The only question is why this absorbing collection is not on a more widely distributed jazz label. Mammina deserves to be more widely heard. (Available at www.jennamammina.com.)

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Don Heckman writes frequently about jazz for The Times.