| Jazz |
Every once in a while, a jazz album appears that reminds us how much beauty there can be in restraint. Not in innovation for its own sake, not in postmodern experimentation or the endless chase for reinvention, but in the art of balance, between voice and instrument, between tradition and emotion, between the familiar and the newly personal. This new recording by vocalist Kelsey Wallne and pianist Chris Rottmayer belongs to that rare category.
Its appeal lies precisely in its simplicity. There’s no need for conceptual framing or studio pyrotechnics here. The music breathes naturally, anchored in timeless melodies that seem to invite the listener into a quiet conversation.
Some of the selections are beloved standards, elegantly reimagined without being overhandled. Others are Wallne’s own compositions, which reveal both a lyrical sensibility and a deep respect for the jazz idiom. What makes the album especially compelling is that Wallne also crafted the arrangements herself, tasteful, uncluttered, and perfectly attuned to her vocal range.
Throughout the album, moments of poetry emerge almost effortlessly. They don’t insist on themselves; they unfold. The phrasing is intimate but never indulgent, the dynamic range subtle yet expressive. The band’s cohesion is unmistakable: musicians listen to each other, respond, and build a shared space that feels lived-in rather than rehearsed. That kind of ensemble maturity doesn’t happen by accident,it grows out of years of musical empathy, and perhaps of the quiet discipline that pianist Chris Rottmayer brings to every project.
Rottmayer’s résumé is as solid as his touch at the piano. A longtime Walt Disney World performer from 1999 to 2020, he has spent decades crafting his sound in both live and studio settings. His three previous albums as a leader, Reactive Synthesis (2013), Sunday at Pilars (2019), and So In Love (2020), each showcased different aspects of his style: lyricism, swing, and a fondness for harmonic color. Today, as a professor of jazz piano at the University of South Florida and a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Rottmayer stands as both performer and pedagogue, a musician for whom precision and feeling coexist without contradiction.
That duality is palpable in his playing here: every chord feels considered, but never constrained. His accompaniment shapes the songs from beneath, offering rhythmic support and harmonic warmth without ever overwhelming the singer. There are echoes of Bill Evans in his voicings, traces of Fred Hersch in his pacing, but Rottmayer’s voice remains his own, melodic, patient, quietly persuasive.
Wallne, for her part, is an intriguing presence. Her tone is clean yet resonant, capable of both lightness and depth. She avoids the dramatic excess that sometimes plagues younger vocalists, favoring instead a conversational approach that feels emotionally true. There’s an underlying curiosity in her phrasing, a sense that she is still exploring her own artistic identity. It makes one want to hear more from her, to know what guides her choices, her influences, her artistic philosophy. Curiously, there’s little public information available about her career or creative process. And that absence feels almost mysterious, because there’s clearly much to say.
The album’s greatest strength may be its refusal to hurry. Each track unfolds with the natural pacing of live performance. The rhythm section doesn’t push or pull; it breathes with the melody. When Wallne sings, the band listens. When Rottmayer solos, she listens. It’s a dialogue of equals, one in which musicianship replaces spectacle, and sincerity replaces artifice.
In an era when jazz recordings often try to dazzle us with complexity or concept, this record dares to be straightforward. And that’s precisely what makes it memorable. It asks nothing more than to be heard for what it is: a generous offering of fine music, interpreted by artists who care deeply about every note.
So if you’re looking for a record that reconnects you with the simple pleasure of beautiful songs, beautifully played, this one will do more than please,it will remind you why you fell in love with this music in the first place.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 22nd 2025
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
::::::::::::::::::::::::