Center Songs

A near miss

I respect what Tom Beckham is trying to do on Center Songs.What’s that, you say?I think he’s attempting to get to the heart of the jazz tradition by recording modern takes on classic forms. Thus, we’ve got a tasty samba, “Zero Gravity Situation,” referencing the jazz-bossa nova style; a gorgeous ballad, “Visitation,” evoking a Bill Evans-ish mood; “Charger,” a hard-bop Latin-tinged piece recalling, perhaps, Wayne Shorter’s days with the Jazz Messengers or even middle…