Andy Jaffe, Manhattan Projections, Reissue

Pianist, arranger, composer Andy Jaffe runs a gamut between hard-bopping mid-sized ensemble jazz and piano duets on the reissued Manhattan Projections (Big Round 8922).

Andy sounds great throughout and he is in some fast company. Smitty Smith, drums, Branford Marsalis on soprano and tenor, Wallace Roney, trumpet, John Clark, French horn, Tom McClung, second piano, and a host of others make some very good contributions in a series of three lineups from 1984, 1991 and 1998.

The pieces are together and the players are in the pocket.

It's straight-ahead and well-played. I hope we soon can hear more of his work and what he is doing now.

Carol Morgan, Trumpet Extraordinaire

Women trumpeters in jazz? The Sweethearts of Rhythm had some, though I don't recall their names. Barbara Donald. Now there was a good one. Bold, brassy, harmonically advanced. I'm sure I am leaving out a number of them. But then there's Carol Morgan. Here's a player for you!

She's had a few albums out but Opening (Blue Bamboo) is the first with her trio: Morgan, Harvie S on bass and Rich Derosa on drums (and Woody Witt guesting on tenor & soprano).

Ms. Morgan has an appealing tone, somewhere between the alum puckerishness of Clark Terry and the quiet intensity of Chet Baker, perhaps, but not as fragile sounding. She is loquacious in her straight-ahead soloing. Hey, she's good!

The album mixes hard bop and American songbook standards (actually, only one of the latter) and some originals by Carol and drummer Derosa.

This is very solid horn and some very together performances. Horn players take note. Listeners, too!