Grace

J.D. Allen's excellent albums feature a crack trio playing his succinct, melodic compositions. Allen’s guiding light is clearly John Coltrane, but he has his own voice. On 2013’s Grace, he shakes things up a bit: Allen works with a new rhythm section (bassist Dezron Douglas and drummer Jonathan Barber) and expands that unit to include pianist Eldar Djangirov. The addition of a chordal instrument changes things in intriguing ways. The album, which is broken into two acts, points to a narrative that concerns spirituality and the heavens. On “Mass,” it’s clear that Djangirov is tuned into Allen’s writing (and playing), but the pianist also expands the material, taking it into mysterious, knotty territory. “Detroit,” on which Allen solos over a quietly dramatic progression, is elegant and bluesy. The ballad “Selah,” colored by Djangirov’s sensitive runs, features a finely shaped statement by Allen. And the rhythm section keeps things spare as it undergirds this spacious track. (Douglas and Barber are excellent throughout.) Grace closes with “The Little Dipper,” which has compelling interplay between Allen and Djangirov.