Mainstream jazz in a contemporary bop motif. Each track is an instrumental soundtrack to a James Baldwin story, written by hot young composers such as Brad Mehldau (who does not appear on this CD).

Musically unremarkable, although there's some good, rich jazz playing here that doesn't get too commercially cheesy.

The "Metta Quintet" itself isn't a band per se, but some loosely defined concept from JazzReach, an educational organization. The liner notes promise we'll hear more from them/it. By the way, the name Metta is a Pali word meaning "loving kindness."

*1- Mid/fast with tangly, throaty composing
2- Slow, lush
*3- Uptempo, w/soprano sax
4- Corny intro but a good strong middle section. Ends with a nice slow sax
passage.
6- Slow mellow swing
*7- Midtempo: Low piano riff and B3 organ
8- Slow, lush, grand