"Classically trained in contemporary percussion is her native Taiwan, Chien Chien Lu, the emergent vibraphonist best known, to date, for recording and touring with Jeremy Pelt Quintet, is excited to release The Path, her genre melding debut as a leader. Accompanying Chien Chien are an elite cast of musicians, a group sourced principally from Pelt's ensemble-with the blessing of the maestro. Such a strong blessing, in fact, that Pelt himself appears here on his young protege's debut, alongside bandmates Richie Goods on acoustic and electric bass, Allan Mednard on drums, and Ismel Wignall on congas/percussion. Goods, in addition to producing the album and arranging its two most recognizable standards, introduced Chien Chien to guitarist Quintin Zoto and pianist Shedrick Mitchell, both of whom prove indispensable here. Though this is not the first time Chien Chien and Mitchell have played together-both played on Goods' most recent release, My Left Hand Man, a tribute to Goods' mentor, the late pianist Mulgrew Miller. And so here we have yet another example of jazz's circle of life: musicians paying mentorship forward."