Pianist/composer Ellen Rowe and band offer a CD of challenging, heady and enjoyable jazz. These are musicians at the top of their game, utilizing deep grooves and sophisticated arrangements. The opening cut, “Ain’t I A Woman,” takes a slow powerful momentum and builds to trombone, sax and bass solos. Janelle Reichman’s clarinet featured on “Anthem” evokes flight. “Game, Set and Match” playfully pays tribute to tennis greats Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, and “Song of the Meadowlark” creatively uses the bird’s song as starting point.
