(Motema)

Vibraphonist Joe Locke is one of the great mallet men of our time. His latest product, “Lay Down My Heart: Blues & Ballads, Vol.1” delivers a nice mix of contemplative and color-filled performances. The project features Locke’s take on tunes by Bill Withers, Sam Jones, Bobby Troup, Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin, as well as, Frank Foster. Locke contributes a couple of beautiful tunes to the set as well. The sound here is soul-soothing. Contributing to the vibe (no pun intended) is a great accompaniment of players which includes Ryan Cohan on piano, Jimeo Brown on drums and David Finck on bass. The four musicians click like clockwork and make every note worth hearing.