Come Escape With Me

Originally from Baku, Azerbaijan, but now living in the Netherlands, pianist and composer Amina Figarova studied classical piano and began writing music as a child. She switched to jazz as a young adult, and has blossomed as both a player and a writer in the years since. This is her third release as leader of an accomplished septet that includes top players from the Netherlands and Belgium (among them her husband, the excellent jazz flutist Bart Platteau). The 12 compositions featured on Come Escape with Me are all originals, and most of them are written in a discursive but elegant style, characterized by chord progressions that sprawl impressionistically while the rhythm section pushes them firmly from below. "Hot on the Trail" and the gorgeous title track are both good examples of those general tendencies, but there are exceptions — such as the delightful "Buckshot Blues," which sounds for all the world as if it had been written by Ray Charles during a vacation in New Orleans. The playing is top-notch throughout, with particular kudos going to Platteau, Figarova and alto saxophonist Tom Beek. Very, very nice.