Legendary trombonist Rudd has chosen album titles well of late. His RareNoise debut, Strength And Power, was a thrilling example of small group voltage, and now Embrace is both heat and light produced by an altogether different charge. From the opening of ‘Solitude’, where Rudd’s improvisation has a fine blend of flourish and restraint it is clear that emotional maturity as well as technical skill is the order of the day. The recasting of the largely standards-based repertoire is perfectly pitched, whether it is the decision to turn ‘House Of The Rising Sun’ into a gently skipping waltz, the foreboding of which is enhanced by Rudd’s tigerish growls, or to make Mingus’ ‘Goodbye Porkpie Hat’ an irrepressibly joyous latin romp. In the absence of a drummer, bassist Filiano and pianist Harris make for a suitably well-anchored but mobile rhythm section, while Rudd and Victor, a singer deserving of wider recognition, really excel as the leads, their sounds often intertwining to good effect. At times the latter has a touch of the wry drama of Abbey Lincoln, but she also has a forthright energy in her delivery, particularly when scatting, that differentiates her from that icon. For those who may fall prey to the cynical if not distressing times in which we live this is a welcome antidote, an ode to both the immortality of certain songs and the beauty they still inspire from musicians who understand their deep sentiment as well as structure.