While We Have Time

Regardless of one's opinion of the music (from this vantage point, quite favorable), it is always a pleasure to welcome a jazz group led by a woman whose talents reach beyond voice or piano. Maddie Vogler, who presides over an admirable sextet on While We Have Time (and wrote all the music therein), plays alto saxophone, and does so about as well as any of her peers, male or female.

When she is not gigging or recording, Vogler teaches music at a high school in Lincolnshire, IL. This after receiving a master's degree in music education from the University of Illinois, where she met and was mentored by trumpeter Tito Carrillo, who shares the sextet's front line. Pianist Jake Shapiro adds another strong voice, as does guitarist Matt Gold, while bassist Samuel Peters and drummer Neil Hemphill secure the rhythmic ramparts and solo keenly whenever called on.

Carrillo's flugelhorn introduces the graceful title song, which, Vogler writes, "is a reflection on the passage of time and how we use the time we have been given with our loved ones." Vogler salutes her Spanish heritage with the diverting, double-jointed "Ropa Vieja" (her grandmother emigrated to Chicago from Cuba at age sixteen) and her students with the brief yet persuasive "Hymn for August," on which she and Shapiro comprise a duo.

The session sets sail on a lively note with "The Need to Be," on which Vogler, Shapiro and Hemphill solo, followed by the even-tempered "Corridors" and "Ropa Vieja." Gold, Peters and Carrillo are front and center on "Corridors," Vogler, Shapiro and Hemphill on the spiraling "Industrielle," which, Vogler writes. exemplifies a piece of Ikea furniture in her home. The album closes with a trio of charmers: "Between Wakefulness and Sleep," "Sunday Colors" and "Check Engine Light."

Even though Vogler's compositions lean more toward pleasant than noteworthy, they work well for the ensemble. What is more important is that everyone performs them with self-assurance and enthusiasm. In sum, a commendable voyage for Vogler and her able crew, and a new voice that is well worth hearing.