New York City is still the mecca of the jazz world and to further prove that point, trumpet maestro and composer Aaron Bahr released Places (Real And Imagined) in 2020. The nine track CD features Aaron’s trumpet backed up by his septet, showcasing some quite skillful musicians including Yoav Eshed (guitar), Jonathan Elbaz (piano), Michael Bates (bass), Clay Lyons (alto sax), Eitan Gofman (tenor sax) and Kazuhiro Odagiri (drums). All tracks are originals save for covers of “Lennie’s Pennies” by Lenny Tristano and “Never Let Me Go”, a song from the 1956 movie The Scarlet Hour. Featuring expert musicianship all around, Places is solid hard bop instrumental jazz that carries on a fine tradition of classic jazz. Recorded in late 2019 in Brooklyn NYC, Places is an excellent showcase for Aaron Bahr’s trumpet-based jazz sounds.