Boston-based saxophonist Miller, influenced by Cannonball Adderley and molded by the legendary Joe Allard, is a musical treasure not yet discovered by the general public. Yet when she plays her personal brand of jazz, with diverse and sundry elements, it's easy to recognize her enormous talent. That ability is heard in a very tonic, subtle, sweet lyricism that has just the right amount of everything. She's got an alto sound that's deep and resonant, a soprano that cuts just a bit, and a bop-to-contemporary style that should find her broad appeal, without Kenny G-isms. This program is split between studio tracks and live takes from a gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA. There's also a 50/50 split in writing chores, of which Miller takes her 50% cut. Miller's originals and the live material with guest trumpeter Tiger Okoshi comprise the many highlights. The perked-up, luminescent head -- Jazz Messenger-ish a la the Wayne Shorter-Lee Morgan version -- of Wake Up Call, the rumbling underpinning of conjunto montuo on The Night I Met Eddie Palmieri, and a reverberant Walkin', with stop-start machinations built for drummer Bob Savine's solo fancy, comprise the club dates. Miller's Southerland' Muse, with a Scottish-informed melody and intro from pianist Tim Ray, and the ballad Dedication are two of several personal, thoroughly modern Miller tributes to heroes and family on this disc. Ray really is the star of the date, on the challenging material as well as ballads like Mood Indigo and Miller's Dedication. His purposeful, thoughtful melodic fills are tossed out to inspire his bandmates, and it works. His style is almost beyond the mainstream, like a slightly overflowing cup of water, oozing and trickling melodies and harmonies -- very ear-catching sounds. If you enjoy your jazz bright, even in shades of dark, you're going to enjoy Miller's cascading, sometimes lilting, expansive music. It incorporates many different modalities and rhythms of today, inspired by yesterday, that are very pleasant and make a whole lot of sense. An album of the year candidate. ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi

1		Blue Vistas
2		Sister of Brotherly Love
3		Wake up Call
4		Near Elm
5		Southerland's Muse
6		The Night I Met Eddie Palmeri
7		Dedication
8		Walkin'
9		Mood Indigo

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