From the epic and bodacious Epoch Dawn, to the more subdued Journey from 2014, it appeared that pianist composer arranger Kelly Andrew had done it all. However, once again Rendezvous is not just another surprise but also another notch in the growing credence of this diverse artist. This time around Kelly Andrew, the master of many musical faces has just added a sophisticated contemporary jazz smile courtesy of his latest ultra smooth romantic Rendezvous.

Though a more than credible producer and arranger of his own music, for some strange reason Andrew felt compelled to lean on the services of producer Will Ackerman, engineer Tom Eaton and some of the Ackerman A Team session players. With a total of 10 tracks the compositions are so evenly well written and performed that there are neither standouts nor fillers found on the entire album. The usage of the A Team is in full force with only 2 stripped down tracks found in the form of the lightly embellished “Serenade Of The Night Sky” and the sublime simplicity of “Promise”. From an ensemble perspective check out the fully loaded slow burner toe tappers courtesy of the opener “Chasing Twilight” equaled by the rhythmic “Lonely Road” towards the end.

From the bold opening electric guitar percussion driven “Chasing Twilight” to the closing moments of the more reflective “Hope”, in between there are approximately 42 minutes of exquisite music. And time and time again Kelly Andrew seems to be able to create attractive and appealing recordings and his latest creation Rendezvous only adds to this credence.