Labeling Yelena Eckemoff a musician would be too limiting. The immensely gifted pianist not only composed all 10 tracks on her new album. She also painted the stunning landscape on its cover, and she wrote a poem to accompany each track­ all of which are included in the CD booklet for “A Touch Of Radiance.” The Soviet-born, classically trained pianist has collaborated in the past with such brilliant musicians as drummer Peter Erskine, bassist Arild Andersen and percussionist Marilyn Mazur. Eckemoff’s new quintet album is a radiant illustration of what happens when you assemble great jazz players in the studio and give them room to roam. Her boldface colleagues here are vibraphonist Joe Locke, bassist George Mraz, drummer Billy Hart and tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. Eckemoff shares the spotlight so generously that at times, this disc sounds like it could be a Turner-led project. (Indeed, when you’re working with one of the greatest tenor players around, you’d be a fool to clamp him down.) With a piano style that gracefully combines beautiful touch with aggressive bite, Eckemoff embraces the role of the searcher. While “Reconciliation” has a definite structure, and an earworm of a melodic riff from Turner. Many of the tracks here convey the sense of a journey. On the closing track, “Radiance, the interplay between Locke, Hart and Eckemoff is particularly effective, as each player explores the percussive quality of his or her instrument without sacrificing melodic sway. Throughout this album, the concept of a group aesthetic reigns supreme: Whether it’s  Mraz’s fluid bass work, Hart’s skittering brushes, Locke’s muscular coloration, Turner’s honeyed tone or the leader’s shimmering accents, everyone here contributes to the whole composition in an unselfish way. This quintet is akin to five sensitive painters who create vibrant murals that are accessible yet visually challenging.

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