Rifftides (US)

Pianist and composer Alan Broadbent has found his lyricist. Further good news: in their Songbook, Georgia Mancio sings her words to Broadbent’s songs with taste, feeling and faultless intonation.

Their collaboration began after the Anglo-Italian singer wrote a lyric to “The Long Goodbye,” a Broadbent composition for Charlie Haden’s 1991 Quartet West album Haunted Heart. A series of engagements in England gave the two opportunities to develop further repertoire. Some of the songs have been in Broadbent’s solo, trio and Quartet West books for years; “Where the Soft Winds Blow,” for instance. Some are brand new, including the tender “Lullaby for MM,” a remembrance of Mancio’s father. Broadbent’s solo turns have the strength, logic and wit that make him a consistently interesting pianist. Bassist Oli Hayhurst and drummer Dave Ohm are sensitive in support.