(Vocal Jazz) Keith Ailer - Spaces & Places - 1999, MP3, 320 kbps

Male jazz singers seemed like an endangered species in the 1990s. For every male jazz singer who showed promise during that decade -- a list that includes Kurt Elling, Kevin Mahogany, Ian Shaw, Lou Lanza, Allan Harris, and Giacomo Gates, among others -- there were countless debuts by female jazz singers. So when a young male jazz singer came along, it was cause to check him out immediately. A name to add to that list is Keith Ailer, whose phrasing on 1998's Spaces & Places brings to mind Al Jarreau. Ailer, however, doesn't get into heavy-duty scatting and vocalese; he's more of a romantic, and the crooner approach serves him well on original material (which dominates the album) as well as interpretations of "Midnight Sun" and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons." On a few occasions, this enjoyable CD veers away from jazz vocals. The title song and "Blues for Khaliq" (both written and arranged by Ailer) are post-bop instrumentals featuring saxman Gary Bartz, while "Goodbye My Love" is a Stevie Wonder-influenced ballad that has more to do with R&B than jazz. But Spaces & Places is a jazz vocal date first and foremost, and it indicated that Ailer was someone who fans of jazz singing needed to be aware of.