I recently obtained a copy of a new jazz album called Not Your Typical New Yorker and what a superb project it is.

Fusing the talented skills of Joseph Diamond supported by a great team of musicians which delivers some awesome latin jazz. "Que Rico!" starts the set a lively upbeat jazzer with the perfect balance of latin vibes and lots of wonderful rhythmic changes.

Joseph has many influences including ex-Crusader Joe Sample.

The title cut, "Not your typical New Yorker", is another exemplary fusion of jazz piano and latin that creates a very live feel with wonderful mood. "Florence" drops the tempo and has a much more relaxed and contemplative feel with warm and heart rending piano from Joseph - a beautiful piece of music.

"M&M" brings us back to lilting latin rhythms delivered with some smoothness and the utmost discipline. "Un Hombre" reminds me of some Tania Maria's work with its bass laden funk intro which develops into a great latin workout.

"Montoya" is a flute-led latin piece with some hints of Dave Valentin works which take it into a cooking jazzer with the utmost effect and some great solo work from the musicians. The album features some beautiful latin tinged ballads like "Little Past Midnight" and "Julia" and my favorite "Hope", with its great combination of piano, mood and ambience.

There's plenty more here to investigate with your ears - a recording with great continuity that was a pleasure to listen to and review.

One more point of interest. Joseph has funded this project and it's his own label and has no official distribution. We look forward to hearing more from Joseph in the future.