Take This

This French-American pianist started out in the ‘90s as a straight-ahead guy with monstrous chops, yet over the years he’s continued to develop an increasingly eclectic vision with beatbox/singer Sly Johnson adding a spark here. “Kiff,” “Dance,” “November,” and “Letting Go” are imaginative and often playful originals. But it’s the covers here that are particularly fascinating, ranging from a very quiet examination of “Blue in Green” to two barely recognizable takes of “Take Five” to a Latin jazz version of “Maladie d’amour.” The biggest surprise, however, is an innovative cover of Goyte’s pop hit “Somebody I Used to Know.”