Vocalist Latz opens up this disc with "Les Feuilles Mortes," essentially a … Read Full Bio ↴Vocalist Latz opens up this disc with "Les Feuilles Mortes," essentially a French version of "Autumn Leaves," and the mood created by her passionate vocals and the light Latin beat are as fragile and lovely as the title suggests. Latz pulls off the French delivery with exquisite pronunciation and a tender affectation. In liner notes, she says this disc was a tribute to her mother, who succumbed to breast cancer in 1975, but she didn't realize it until after it was recorded. The emotional, lyrical nature of her song style draws the listener into her world, and it's a lovely place. On ballads she is superb, managing to be emotive without veering into sappy, as on the nearly heartbreaking, "I Get Along Without You Very Well." And she knows how to lay back on swing, as she displays on her elongated melody on "Witchcraft." Her easy style, as on "Jump In," is endearing, and her tonality is spot on. Joel Frahm accents the core quartet with complementary sax solos, but Latz's poignant vocals pull everything together. She draws out the melodies, making each note count, and may be one of the finest balladeers in some time.

— Kyle O'Brien, Jazz Society of Oregon