Alloy [CD], Andrew Toombs, CD

After more than two decades as a sought-after sideman and collaborator, pianist and composer Andrew Toombs releases his long-awaited debut as a leader with Alloy. Blending jazz, soul, and hip-hop influences, the album features Makaya McCraven on drums, Junius Paul on bass, guest trumpeters Marquis Hill and Maurice Brown, and spoken word by J. Ivy. What emerges on Alloy is not a debut so much as a declaration: the sound of an artist stepping fully into himself.