Larry Ham: Just Me, Just You

This is an unspectacular, unassuming, relatively quiet, likable solo piano recital. Larry Ham’s approach is so measured and orderly that you might think you are hearing standards like “My Romance” and “If I Should Lose You” and “I Can’t Get Started” virtually unadorned. In fact Ham subtly recasts them with his harmonic shadings and slight displacements of phrasing and continuous, thoughtful additional details. But he always sounds like his respectful, careful encounter has put him in touch with a song’s essence.