In the best tradition of latin-rooted jazz pianists, the well-travelled Alex Mercado's playing fizzes with a natural exuberance. In 2012 he recorded his piano trio debut The Watcher with a pair of similarly Mexico-based musicians. This time out the 1990s Berklee alumnus heads up north to record in New York, notably with the drummer Antonio Sanchez, perhaps the most well-known Mexican to grace the contemporary jazz international stage, being a central lynchpin of Pat Metheny's various projects. The bassist is Scott Colley, another major figure on the international circuit, who has recorded extensively with everyone from Michael Brecker and Chris Potter through to David Binney. In spite of this he's still attracting the kind of sparse attention given out to modest acoustic bass players who aren't known for leading their own bands. On a set of originals, Mercado shapes a vocabulary that puts melody first and ranges from the romanticism and rippling impressionism of the classical music era, through bebop to the odd-metered vamps, clave rhythms and folk-dance melancholy of latin America. Although possessed with a technique perfect for grandstanding, Mercado looks to always put the emotional side of his playing first and there are solid, empathetic contributions from Colley and Sanchez. The album might feel a little on the long side, but it's pretty stirring stuff if you're in the mood.