Mari Watanabe is a Japanese transplant celebrating her twentieth year in New Orleans. In that time she seems to have caught onto the roots of New Orleans music quite nicely. Her mastery of the piano blends very well with the brass band sounds of her backup group. Four of the 13 tracks are originals; the others are covers of such classics as “St. Louis Blues,” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.” There’s even a new arrangement of the late Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen’s “Here Comes Tuba Fats,” as well as several solo tracks by Watanabe. The piano work is steady, tightly paced and first rate throughout. Particularly outstanding are the solos by Ernest “Doc” Watson on tenor, William Smith on trumpet and Jeffrey Hills on sousaphone. Watson’s son Curtis, weighing in with the vocals on the gospel classic, “His Eye is On the Sparrow,” is a real treat for the ears, exhibiting great range and voice control.