'Round Midnight Concord***

Allyson is a good singer who, despite several Grammy nominations in the past decade, has remained a bit under the jazz radar. She's a sophisticated, classically trained pianist who has trawled with discernment the usual suspects – standards, pop, bossa, Broadway – for her repertoire while also shrewdly seeking out jazz originals. She does all of that here, opening with Gene Lees's fine lyrics to Bill Evans's lovely Turn Out the Starsand closing with Monk's iconic 'Round Midnight. In between there is Ellington's Sophisticated Ladyand some seldom-sung standards like Smileand Goodbye, all with impeccable support from a band that includes drummer Matt Wilson and excellent work from multireedman Bob Sheppard. It's an intimate, well-crafted album by a singer who respects the lyrics, yet its monochrome, after-hours mood never quite fully sparks to life. See karrin.com