LILI MALJIC, The Nearness of You

Long renowned on Central Europe’s jazz scene as “Lili Mae,” Serbian born, Austrian based vocalist Lili Maljic’s exquisitely arranged, lightly swinging standards-driven debut album The Nearness of You marks two important celebrations – the versatile artist, songwriter and vocal interpreter’s emergence as a recording artist and the life of hard-bop trumpeter Jim Rotondi (Ray Charles, Lionel Hampton, George Coleman) in the wake of his sudden passing in 2024, not long after participating as part of the dynamic quartet on this collection and recording his final album Finesse.

Though listeners will be instantly mesmerized by Maljic’s silky, sassy and emotionally intuitive voice and otherworldly scatting throughout the ten tracks. the album cover and promotional materials make it clear that the project is dedicated “In Loving Memory” of Rotondi, presenting that phrase as a true subtitle. Rotondi’s colorful contributions begin right off the bat with his off the bat with his richly textured horn chorale intro to a sly bossa twist on “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

His horn textures and wafting solo trumpet caress her charming phrasing and storytelling skills throughout the track. The song also introduces us, via a winsome solo, to pianist Oliver Kent as the rhythm section (bassist Milo Colovic and drummer Mario Gonzi) keep the soulful rhythms flowing. Another of Rotondi’s standout solos comes on the playfully romantic “The Touch of Your Lips.”

While clearly the singer had no clue that this would be her last go-round with Rotondi, selections of her repertoire now feel like tributes to their collaboration and friendship. In addition to “The Shadow of Your Smile,” the playfully swinging “Easy to Love” and haunting “Never Let Me Go” are particularly poignant. Though the singer is aware that “my voice leads the melody like an instrument,” her phrasing approximates that of an improvised instrument solo on the clever, lightning paced “The Song Is You.” As great an interpretive Great American Songbook album and smashing debut as this is, the fact that Maljic is also an accomplished songwriter hopefully means she’ll be sharing her own material with us in the future as well.