Unlike many contemporary urban jazz artists who stick with safe, in the pocket dynamics from track to track, Alvin Pope has staked his solo career on drawing freely from a wide array of influences. The Wilmington, Delaware raised keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist followed his auspicious 2008 independent debut Rise of the Phoenix with a 2012 set that reflected the Soul of Man via musical excursions into funk, old school R&B, soul ballads and Brazilian music. Now, taking his musical “game” to the next level, Pope vibes with genre superstar and #1 hit maker Nils to create an infectious set of nine dynamic originals and powerful covers of Donnie Hathaway’s “Valdez in the Country” and the always uplifting “Amazing Grace.” The title of the album came to the keyboardist towards the end of the recording process, and it perfectly summarizes the joyful spirit of the collection and Pope’s optimism moving forward: The Good Life.