Its song titles, like "Beginnings" and "Inspirational," are pieces of a larger emotional suite, reminiscent of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Musically, it follows the melodic and hypnotic modal jazz blueprint that has made Mile Davis' A Kind of Blue the biggest-selling jazz album of all time. The warm sonic landscape evokes '70s-era ECM albums like Pat Metheny's First Circle, where every instrument's surge and ebb -- framed in an ensemble context -- shines with crystal-clear purity. Those timeless qualities make Jesse Lewis Union, the new CD from guitarist Jesse Lewis, one of the most soulful and refreshing albums to emerge from New Orleans' contemporary jazz scene. It has a classic feel, but doesn't contain any standards or cover songs. The music stands on its own, but the stories behind Jesse Lewis Union add more poignant layers to a debut CD that was never intended for commercial release. "I had written all this music, and wanted to docu...