Luminescence

Imagine if iconic jazz pianist Bill Evans recorded an album with Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Cantuaria and you'll have a slightly overblown notion of pianist/accordionist Tino Derado's Luminescence. Combining tango, bossa nova, and jazz, Derado — 31 at the time of this release — has in reality crafted a beautiful, soft, accomplished debut that often skirts the boundaries between jazz and easy listening. Featuring the soft bossa strumming of guitarist Guilherme Monteiro, Derado's compositions do achieve a high level of sophistication, especially during the solos, which should appeal to most hardcore jazz enthusiasts. Backed by the sensitive accompaniment of bassist Matt Penman, drummer Roland Schneider, and vocalist Chiara Civello, Derado's mellow accordion usually takes center stage on such intimately produced songs as the swift gypsy swinger "Indifferent to Luxury" and "Odd Birds," a haunting, cerebral mix of Kind of Blue-style backgrounds and Argentinean-inspired melody. Perhaps not as adventurous as one might hope, but groundbreaking nonetheless in its own subtle way.