DEPARTURE

Guitarist Sheryl Bailey and bassist Harvie S are colossal talents on their own, but as the duo Plucky Strum, they’re a remarkably potent jazz force. Bailey, a trad-jazz and early bebop maven, has a lyric sensibility and an affinity for bright, vibrant chords. Harvie S, a veteran accompanist to the likes of Jim Hall and Thad Jones, is a bass player capable of both sturdy below-ground support and soaring self-expression. Their styles meshed well on the duo’s 2015 debut (titled Plucky Strum), which showcased an agile unit with heaps of dexterity and a penchant for lean, organic melodies. On the follow-up album, Departure, the duo advances in two directions—toward a fortification of their original sound and into new sonic territory. Opener “Sublime” has the feel of a jaunty mid-century bop tune—think guitarist Tal Farlow’s snappishly articulated duo work—but also incorporates sounds from jazz’s present, including urban blues and Halvorsonian avant-garde. A version of Joni Mitchell’s “The H