Life of a Song is Geri Allen's first recording under her own name in six long years. She teams with the rhythm section of bassistDave Hollandand drummerJack DeJohnette, whom she worked with on the lateBetty Carter's stellar live dateFeed the Firein 1993. Allen composed eight of the album's 11 cuts, and the covers includeBud Powell's "Dance of the Infidels,"Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," andMal Waldron's "Soul Eyes." This last selection is augmented by the participation ofMarcus Belgraveon flugelhorn, saxophonistDwight Andrews, and trombonistClifton Anderson. The album's title reflects the depth of commitment to the song forms inherent in jazz. Allen is in fine form here, and one can hear her various instrumental and vocal influences. The album swings, but looks underneath swing for its subtleties and its edges, too. The set opens with a playful, pianistic dissonance on "LWB's House (The Remix)" -- and lest punters be alarmed, the tune is not "remixed" at all, but is actually an earlier composition reworked. The bluesy funk here is augmented with Afro-Cuban rhythms andaseriesoftonalshiftswhereAllenistryingtoemulatetheAfricanstringedinstrument,thekora.Swingisinherentineverychorus,andHollandandDeJohnettekeep the pace relaxed yet deeply focused. The interplay betweenHollandand Allen on "Mounts and Mountains" -- particularly during the bassist's solo passage -- are remarkable as she responds with a contrapuntal solo that draws on bothHerbieHancockandAhmadJamal.Elsewhere, on thePowelltune her facility to usher it in a relaxed, easy way, and then dazzle with her two-handed counterpoint in the solo showcase Allen's quick wit and dazzling chromatic command. The title cut, with its obviousHancockhomage in the head and swinging head, is one of the album's many high points. This is a trio date that has all the elements: an indefatigable lyricism and honesty of emotion, as well as beautiful colors and deft,evenuncannyengagements among the three principals. What a welcome return for Allen, who expertly displays she's been refining her chops and listening deeply to her Muse these past six years.