MAYS'S 'MANHATTAN': SOPHISTICATED

EAST SIDE. West side. No matter. New York City is jazz pianist Bill Mays's kind of town, as evidenced by his new album, "Mays in Manhattan."

The tune list alone speaks volumes about Mays's affection for the city he now calls home: Rodgers and Hart's "Manhattan," Horace Silver's "Summer in Central Park," Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" and, perhaps inevitably, "Autumn in New York," are among the more familiar pieces in this musical mosaic, each adding a distinctive tone and texture to the portrait Mays and his collaborators create. Using two ensembles -- one a trio, the other a sextet -- Mays contrasts intimately improvised dialogues with mood pieces that evoke orchestral contours, power and warmth. In both instances, the music frequently reflects the vitality of the city it honors, the energy stemming in part from Mays's inventive sextet arrangements and fluid improvisations. He's certainly not opposed to recasting tunes -- Joel's contribution, for example, is briefly underpinned by the chord progression to a Charlie Parker tune -- and his solos often reveal a spontaneous wit and charm.