Regrowth is trombonist Kalia Vandever’s second album, a wholly original outing, as was her 2019 debut, In Bloom. Bassist Nick Dunston and drummer Connor Parks, the limber and versatile rhythm section from In Bloom, return as well. But this time, celebrated young alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins joins Vandever in the front line, enabling her to expand the contrapuntal and polyphonic nature of her writing. Her interaction with Wilkins as a soloist also gives the music an extra jolt. Guitarist Lee Meadvin, who appeared on two In Bloom tracks, plays a more pronounced role on Regrowth, serving as producer and playing on more than half the album. Pianist Paul Cornish is virtuosic and harmonically expansive on the first three cuts, but he’s absent on “An Unwelcome Visit,” “Lift,” and “Pick It Up (And Drop It Again),” yielding the floor for Meadvin to create a band texture as spacious as it is rhythmically propulsive. Through it all, Vandever distinguishes herself as a trombone virtuoso with a huge and expressive sound and an engaging, if elusive, approach to melody and rhythmic feel.