Latest update - adding 'album of the week' tag: 5 April 2024.

Jump last year made ripples. It's a 1990s sound in a Joshua Redman sense, a sound that Melissa Aldana sometimes can be identified with too although Aldana and Julieta Eugenio even within that musical cosmos land at different points of the compass. Stay is narrative driven in terms of incrementally interesting chorus upon chorus of sax cycles and ''taking a note for a walk''. It makes an even bigger splash than its Greenleaf predecessor. There is time made for contemplation everywhere. While ever increasing circles fan out the formula remains not quite the same - the distinguishing factor is the presence of Leo Genovese on Rhodes electric piano cropping up on a couple of tracks. Check him out on 'Estrellero' for a different context that also concerned Eugenio's fellow Argentine.

Double bassist Matt Dwonszyk (significant on 'Out There') and drummer Jonathan Barber from Jump figure again with Eugenio. While 'Flamingo' was the big track of the earlier album - probably 'Trapped' works most here. And if anything the emotions run deeper and connect more universally while not in any way distilling the sound down to a more commodifiable quintessence although Stay is highly ''jazz radio''-friendly play, probably more evening than morning. Perhaps it's the timbral character telling that the saxist does so well that is part of the individuality at work. But there's more to the sound than great timbre - there's power and flexibility too and you sense active listening between all the players as passages become more unself-indulgently mournful when the sunnies get blue. Originals make sense. And there is a thoughtful cover of Duke Ellington's 'Sophisticated Lady' too. Julieta Eugenio, photo: Alexx Duvall