Playing Favorites, Chris Rottmayer Review

By Icrom Bigrad

Playing Favorites is the kind of record where swing, lyricism, and aligned musicianship all intersect. Pianist Chris Rottmayer and vocalist Kelsey Wallner revisit the American and Brazilian songbooks, shaping familiar tunes with chemistry, imagination, and rhythmic poise.

Recorded in Madison, WI, with bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Matt Endres, Playing Favorites sounds alive and lucid with the sound of a quartet that listens hard and leaves space. Rottmayer, whose résumé runs from Disney’s pit orchestras to doctoral-level pedagogy, carries the harmonic vocabulary of a modern jazz pianist who’s studied the lineage and internalized its swing. Wallner, trained in vocal jazz at UNC and steeped in Brazilian phrasing, brings warmth and rhythmic charm that make her phrasing dance in just the right spot on the beat.

The opener, “Everything Happens to Me,” is styled in a medium jazz swing at its most supple. Sommers’ bass line walks with lyrical confidence; Endres’ cymbals shimmer rather than shout. Rottmayer comps with supportive chords as Wallner’s playful rendering of the melody flows with style and grace. Rottmayer’s solos swing with fluid single lines and accenting chordal figures. Sommers’ bass solo delivers an unhurried and lyrical solo. Wallner returns for the bridge, her phrases engaging and fluid.

“One Note Samba” features the ensemble in Latin jazz territory. The rhythm section locks into an elegant bossa as Wallner’s Brazilian Portuguese delivery brings the character vividly to life. Sommers and Endres trade phrases that keep the form conversational. Rottmayer’s solo traces Jobim’s harmonic map with curiosity, his right hand sketching melodic flow through the harmonies. The whole thing feels alive; it sounds like a real exchange, not a run-through.

“Voyage,” Kenny Barron’s post-bop standard, features the trio. The chemistry really pops between the three players. Rottmayer’s solo moves from motivic ideas to vertical chord statements, upper-structure triads, quartal voicings, tasteful ♭9 and ♯11 colors. Endres rides the cymbal, which is buoyant with modern accents, and his snare comp with Rottmayer. It’s trio playing knowledge turned kinetic.

“Velho Piano” unfolds as a jazz ballad, with Wallner delivering the Brazilian Portuguese lyrics in beautifully shaped dynamic arcs. Rottmayer plays tenderly, outlining form and filling in around Wallner’s phrases. The trio shapes each phrase as if accompanying a single long breath to create a romantic reading.

Then comes “On the Street Where You Live,” an easy-going swing that the ensemble blooms into a toe-tapping performance. Wallner’s embellishments on the head are classic jazz in style, with just enough jazz blues to make it emotional. Rottmayer’s solo builds in kind with subtle rhythmic pushes, bluesy turns, and a sense of classic jazz elegance. Sommers’ bass solo is melodic and converses with Endres’ fine brush swishes.

The trio burns again on “Firm Roots.” Endres’ drumming is straight out of the post-bop playbook with crisp ride figures, snare commentary, and defined phrasing. Rottmayer keeps it modern and modal, reminding listeners he’s as comfortable in the Cedar Walton lineage as he is in Jobim’s.

“Sail Away” is a contemporary jazz piece, with straight-eighth fluidity and a relaxed shimmer. The trio’s phrasing is subtle, detailed, and interactive. Rottmayer and Sommers have a strong melodic chemistry throughout.

“I’m Too Sweet” and “Love Ain’t Free” show that Wallner is more than an interpreter. Her songwriting lives between soul-blues and jazz, where gospel color meets triplet feel. “I’m Too Sweet” rides a hip shuffle; “Love Ain’t Free” leans cool-swing and features a tight scat-vocal passage that’s both precise and free. Rottmayer matches her energy with percussive comping, strong left-hand motion, and supportive right-hand punctuations. These originals feel integrated, showing the band’s shared language.

“Love Dance” and “Never Will I Marry” end the record in contrasting worlds: Brazilian sensuality and Broadway poise. The former unfolds slowly, with a harmonic perfume in every chord; the latter opens with arco bass and voice with a world-jazz overture that resolves into playful modern swing. Both confirm that Rottmayer and Wallner understand contrast and flow.

Playing Favorites is a conversation between jazz styles, generations, and grooves. Its collection standards and Brazilian classics have new stories to tell, and the musicians behind them are grounded in history and alert to the present. Playing Favorites is a project that captures the joy of seasoned musicians re-encountering beloved tunes with fresh ears and fearless hearts.