A head-turning pianist in groups led by Immanuel Wilkins, Zoh Amba, Billy Drummond and Giveton Gelin, Micah Thomas gained major plaudits for his trio debut, Tide, in 2020. His follow-up is a solo-piano outing that is no less adventurous for its exclusive focus on standards and classic bebop/postbop fare. Thomas’ mastery of the language can take him anywhere, from the old-school swing of “April in Paris” and “More Than You Know” to the soaring modernism of Cedar Walton’s “Ugetsu”, Sam Rivers’ “Cyclic Episode” and the 1945 Parker-Gillespie bebop masterpiece “Koko”, a particularly bold choice for a solo instrumentalist. There’s technical wizardry for days in Thomas’ renderings, but what comes across most is great feel, beautiful touch and palpably deep love for the music he has chosen to play.