Blessed & Bewitched

Maja Jaku was born in Kosovo and is based in Vienna. Considered one of the top jazz singers in Europe, she is a very expressive storyteller with a musical personality of her own. She was winning awards for her singing when she was just seven and has led her own bands since turning 14. Blessed & Bewitched is her fifth album as a leader and her first one to be recorded in New York. The singer is joined by trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, pianist Alan Bartus, bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Johnathan Blake and, on three songs, Adrian Varady (the album's producer who co-wrote some of the originals) on drums or percussion.

The set begins with Maja Jaku's haunting vocal on "The Witch," a quietly dark piece that has excellent trumpet and piano solos. On "I'm A Queen," Ms. Jaku engages in some scatting (preceding Rodriguez's fiery trumpet) and sounds quite assertive. During the melancholy ballad "Lonely Little Fox," she creates a vocal full of longing that expresses an aching desire for love. The mood immediately changes on "Blessing Will Come" which is a joyous strut. "Never Let Me Go" is uplifted by her warm and passionate vocal. After the infectious "Rituals," Maja Jaku concludes the set with a heartfelt and often dramatic (with out-of-tempo pauses) version of "Everything Must Change."

All in all, Blessed & Bewitched is an intriguing and thought-provoking album that will help introduce the talents of Maja Jaku to an American audience.