Marking his 53rd birthday and 25 years since his eponymous debut for Blue Note, Jacky Terrasson's 2019 studio album, 53, is an engaging, deeply nuanced set that reflects his ever-deepening artistic maturity. An inventive, technically adept "young lion", Terrasson has continued to refine his style over the years. Here he displays a broad range of rhythmic and harmonic colors. Helping him achieve this are no less than three rhythm sections including one with electric bassist Géraud Portal and drummer Ali Jackson, double-bassist Sylvain Romano and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, and double-bassist Thomas Bramerie and drummer Lukmil Perez. The result is an album of original compositions that touch upon all of Terrasson's varied musical touchstones. "The Call" is a brightly rolling opener dedicated to legendary pianist and longtime Terrasson idol Ahmad Jamal. Similarly, he pays homage to another of his main influences, Keith Jarrett, on "Kiss Jannett for Me." Elsewhere, the soulful "Babyplum" is a midtempo groover à la Ramsey Lewis and "3. Sequentia: Lacrimosa" is an introspective rendition of Mozart's requiem that brings to mind the work of pianist Bill Evans, as well as the dusky balladry of Chet Baker in his later years. Shifting gears, Terrasson draws upon his love of '70s crossover jazz with the Chick Corea-esque "This Is Mine" before swinging into the off-kilter blues of "Blues en femmes majeures." He ends by sinking into "Resilience," a ballad that evokes the poignant standard "For All We Know." While Terrasson certainly borrows inspiration from a variety of players and sources on 53, he never sounds anything less than distinctively his own. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

1		The Call
2		Alma
3		Mirror
4		Jump!
5		Kiss Jannett for Me
6		Palindrome
7		La Part des anges
8		Babyplum
9		What Happenes au 6éme
10		My Lys
11		LacrimosaMozart: Requiem in D Minor
12		Nausica
13		This Is mine
14		La Part des Anges [Reprise]
15		Blues en Femmes Majeures
16		Resillience