Contemporary jazz artists, Mark Saltman and William Knowles move around each other with the ease of turtle-doves navigating across the skyline. Their latest release Yesterday’s Man features Antonio Parker on alto saxophone, Brian Settles on soprano and tenor saxophone, Doug Pierce on flugelhorn and trumpet, Jimmy Jackson on drums, and Victor Provost on soprano steel pan along with the smooth vocal stylizing of Lori Williams-Chisholm. Warm and snuggly, Yesterday’s Man is a repertoire of original tunes that glisten with the graceful curves of bebop and the plush elevating riffs of swing jazz. With Knowles at the piano and Saltman on the bass, something good is guaranteed to come from their interfacing.

From the soft swing jazz ambience of “They Don’t Really Care For Us” to the eclectic musings of “Theme In Search Of A Film,” Saltman Knowles stake out a broad territory for themselves. The upper tier of saxophone twirls in the title track convey hope as the bass and piano keep Chisholm’s vocals comfortably suspended. The torchlight embers of “08 Bossa” are kindled by the lambent sloshing of the bass and piano keys as the horns burst through the calm chiseling clefts of swirling patterns. The smooth jazz stylizing of the harmonic forms in “East Orange Blues” are cuffed in a trail of marching drum strikes as the horns puff tenderly along the melodic progressions.

Provost furnishes the reggae-fused percussive beats of the steel pan in the undertow of “Blues For Sale,” “Cry,” and “Shesh” fastening an African-styled intonation in the dance rhythms of the horns which ignite a middle eastern vibe. “What Was I To You” is bambooed in Latin-tinged shakers and elegantly scrolled piano keys as Chisholm’s vocals snuggle softly against the melodic movements, while the vaunting beats of “Folk Song” pump up Chisholm’s vocals as she scats and twits energetically across the bubbly riffs of the melody.

Saltman Knowles straddle the line between contemporary jazz and traditional harmonic forms. Their embellishments and nuances are all compatible with the main themes of the melodies as the tunes are meticulously groomed and polished to a smooth jazz gleam. The duo test the boundaries of their instruments as they create jostling motions and hold their melodic appeal firmly in tact.