" data-original-title="" title="">Jaelem Bhate, whose debut recording, On the Edge, is, on the one hand, burnished and sophisticated, and on the other, a reminder that laudable big-band jazz rests in large measure on the ability to make stalwart rhythms a centerpiece as it takes the listener on a pleasurable voyage to its bright and musical destination.

Bhate, who hails from Vancouver, B.C., salutes his birthplace with the four-part "Pacific Suite," whose engaging melodies are underlined by tempos that are slow to moderate (indeed, there is nothing on the album that could be miscast as a flag-waver). While Bhate sacrifices celerity for astuteness and depth, the band makes the most of that, wresting every ounce of weight and color from his perceptive charts, from the well-grooved curtain-raiser, "On the Edge," to the tasteful finale, "You Will Be OK." The ensemble's talented rhythm section (pianist Andrew MacDonald, guitarist Ricardo Halabi, bassist Jacques Forest, drummer Duran Ritz) is alert and on its game throughout, as are its well-rehearsed brass and reed components. As for soloists, they too are securely on target, fleshing out the luminous arrangements with adroit and incisive commentary. Tenor saxophonist