I confess I wasn't all that familiar with Malcolm Braff before hearing this gig, but I've been digging around the various festival recordings, and rebroadcasts from this past Summer throughout Europe and realizing more than ever, Jazz is not only everywhere, it's absolutely adored in Europe. And there is some astonishing talent to be had without breaking a sweat to look. Braff is a brilliant pianist, who has been compared to Bill Evans in places, but his Senegalese and Brazilian roots are more than abundant in this one hour concert that goes by really very fast. It's always easy to draw comparisons between newer artists and legends, but in the case of Braff, his talent is in his remarkable point of view and virtuosic playing which is purely his own. He is joined by Alex Blake on Bass and Yaya Ouattara who hails from Burkina Faso. Together, they make for a very satisfying and enjoyable hour and the festival audience wholeheartedly agrees.

This recording comes by way of the great Swiss radio outlet Espace 2 and it comes from the 2009 Jazz Onze Plus Festival in Lausanne.

A reminder that a good message is timeless. Check out Braff's Myspace Page for updates and a list of his albums (there are several).