Los Angeles bassist Eric von Essen was a topnotch sideman in the city"s jazz scene until his untimely death in 1997. Turns out he was also a stellar composer of lyrical blues, elegant laments, and sweet ballads. Of course, his colleagues knew that all along, and The Music of Eric von Essen puts the bassist"s tunes in the hands of Grammy-winner Alan Broadbent (famed as the pianist for Charlie Haden"s Quartet West), guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Peter Erskine, and a host of Angeleno jazz lights. Alan Pasqua opens the session with the lovely, mellow "Silvana," and the tempo stays mellow until Broadbent"s take on "Blues Puzzle" and Cline"s reading of "Peacemaker," each of which accelerates while still asserting von Essen"s fundamentally moody impressionism. Closing the CD are two tracks featuring the lauded folk-jazz quartet led by Nels"s twin brother, drummer Alex, who picks tunes that dance with sultry slowness and gain their aching quality from violinist Jeff Gauthier. It"s been ages since Los Angeles had an identifiable jazz sound, but in von Essen, the city seems to shine as a mix of bright harmonic lights and more complex, swirling energy that leans towards Bill Evans"s tangled emotions and dramatic effect. --Andrew Bartlett