A.J. Loria is as homegrown as they get. To quote from his bio—born in the Crescent City in 1947; began piano at 11, guitar at 13; high school valedictorian; B.S. Mathematics, Tulane, ’69.

He has performed at Jazz Fest and at various times with the likes of Allen Toussaint and Aaron Neville. He co-founded Orleans Records with Carlo Ditta. But Loria is also a well-traveled troubador. He has spent considerable time in Europe, Japan and New York. This CD is a byproduct of his wanderlust. It was recorded in Brooklyn, with half of his quartet hailing from Japan.

Joining Loria (piano and vocals) are Ivan Bodley on bass, Mine Kosuke on tenor sax and Furusawa Ryojiro (“the Art Blakey of Japan”) on drums. Most of the ten compositions on this CD are originals in the three-to five-minute range and they’re all good. This is nice, fun, jazz/folk/pop music that uplifts the spirit. Loria doesn’t appear to take himself too seriously, which is probably why this record works for him.

His style is sort of laid-back and lighthearted; at times sounding like early Dylan, at other times like Randy Newman. The voice and keyboards are easy on the ears. Kosuke’s sax work is especially outstanding. He wails and rocks on nearly every track. Ryojiro’s reputation is well-deserved, as well. He keeps the band’s beat at a steady tempo without being overpowering.

Overall, this CD is a pleasure to listen to and hopefully more of the same will be forthcoming from this gifted quartet.