Billie Holiday songbook CDs have become a major marketing tool, but trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s most recent effort is so magnificently performed and engineered that it defies any attempts at being cynically lumped into a trend. He plays soothing, appealing ballads, anguished uptempo tunes and wonderful melodies on muted and open horn, cleanly and fully hitting high and low notes, while executing mellow or intense statements smoothly and with flair. Guest vocalist Jeanie Bryson isn’t overwhelmed by the task of singing immortal compositions previously made anthems by a legend. She won’t make anyone forget Holiday, but her renditions don’t lack their own authority or passion either. This is a smash tribute and arguably Terence Blanchard’s finest work. – Ron Wynn