Three for the Road

So smooth a voice as Carol Akerson '77's has rarely been showcased by so becoming an accompaniment as Bob Winter's piano on Akerson's debut album, ThePiano Love Song. The two musicians suit each other's Style perfectly and come away with a synergy that has the richness of a full jazz ensemble and the intimacy of a 1940s cabaret duo. This atmosphere permeates the album, as if each tune were sung through the thick, archetypal, cigarette smoke of jazz lore, lending an audible texture and physicality to each note. Akerson edifies that feeling with classic tunes like Duke Ellington's "I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good" and Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life. She comfortably augments the classics with lesser-known but well done selections, including one original from Winter (the pianist with the Boston Pops Orchestra), and her own title track, "The Piano Love Song. "In homage to one of her more profound musical influences, Akerson plans to release an Ellington tribute album this spring. For a copy, write P.O. Box 54, Newtonville, MA 02160;.

• Somewhere behind the intricate melodies that cascade from the treble and bass of his piano, you can actually hear the precision and command with which Mike Markaverich 71 builds his unique sound. Like listening to the pianoforte prose of Harry Connick Jr. or Marcus Roberts, the experience leaves you processing notes long after Markaverich has leapt into his next musical permutation. His most recent release, So Low They Can 7 Hear Me, exhibits this expertise in 12 tunes, culminating with a contemplative version of "Song to Elitha." Marktime Records, P.O. Box 11102, Sarasota, FL 34278; (941) 951-1487.

• Love Life, the latest release from the New York-based band Distant Cousins, brings Cajun flavor to the already tasty blues-funk steak of folk rock with which Catherine Dail '91 and her band have made their name. With favorites such as "Elvis Did Karate," Distant Cousins has cornered the market on just-plain-fun acoustic music. If the word "party" had a universal theme song, it would come off this album. 24 Fifth Ave., #1629, NY, NY 10011; (212) 505-3752.

Carol Aherson With Bob Winter