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Southern Illinois native Jaimee Paul grew up singing in church, where she wowed congregations with her spins on classic hymns. On her newest album, Paul reinterprets jazz standards, including “Cry Me a River,” originally popularized by Julie London. Close your eyes and listen to Paul’s timeless, smoky vocals mingle with tranquil string orchestration and Beegie Adair’s delicate piano playing. If you like the track, check out the album.

On this original composition, James Carter lays down a subtle understated groove driven by elegant arrangements, carefully pared down to the essentials. Says Carter: “I’m dealing with more lyricism on this album, and I’m making more concise statements in the music versus playing out for 10 or 11 minutes.” This creates the perfect setting for Carter’s solowork – and work it is, as he leaps large intervals in single bounds that would make any superhero blanch. Little wonder then, that the Detroit native recently topped Downbeat’s annual Critics Poll in the Baritone Saxophone category for the third year in a row.

“Worrisome Heart” is the title track to the debut from the young vocalist Melody Gardot.  Gardot’s debut is out on Verve Records and the sound she conjures here is a good fit with that label’s classic recordings.  This is smoky vocal jazz with Gardot providing plenty of mystery and guile in the composition and vocal style.  She unfolds the song like a blues tune, focusing on repitition, but tells more with each line of the song.

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