MELISSA KASSEL & TOM ZICARELLI, Moments

Since the title of the debut album by the Melissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli Group is Moments, it’s appropriate to imagine just how many incredible and inspiring ones the veteran singer (nominated as Best Jazz Vocalist in Boston) and pianist have created performing live since they began collaborating in the 80s.

A quarter century after Kassel first graced the world outside the New England region with her critically acclaimed debut album Live at the Acton Jazz Café, she and Zicarelli tap into their extensive repertoire for ten compelling original musical moments that showcase not only their symbiotic artistry, but also that of their cohorts Bruce Gertz (bass), Gary Feldman (drums) and Phil Grenadier, whose soulful trumpet solos add extra fanciful magic to the jubilant, high-energy swingers “Dancing” and “Spring Forth Joy” and a touch of sensual romance to the ballad “Glow of Your Love,” among others.

Working with these stalwarts, Kassel, as critic Frank John Hadley once wrote, “brings real imagination and passion to her close study of tone, intonation and phrasing.” She is a thoughtful, insightful storyteller, whether she’s in a reflective, melancholy mood (as on the graceful opener “Lullabye” and the moody, haunting “Adrift”) or celebrating life and love via “Dancing,” “Glow of Your Love” and the peppy, lighthearted “Breath.”

One of the more curious, and truly adventurous, tunes is “Sea Humanity,” which begins in a whimsical percussive mode, with Kassel singing lyrics along with Zicarelli and Grenadier as they intriguingly scale up, Then the piece eases into an extended ambient, hypnotic avant-garde instrumental interlude before returning to the original quirky tempo. Kassel and Zicarelli wrap this continuously engaging set with a brief but emotionally intense vocal-piano duet that further showcases her expansive vocal range.