In the tradition of George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Lee Ritenour and many more, Mark Whitfield exhibits superb finger dexterity with [i]Grace[/i] (Marksman Productions, 2017).

The players are Whitfield, guitar; sons Davis Whitfield, piano, and Mark Whitfield Jr., drums; Yasushi Nakamura, bass; and Sy Smith, vocals on “Grace.”

The music throughout is unfiltered jazz with tight syncopation and unit cohesion, augmented by individual expression. Smith lends her whispery voice to the title song, whose lyrics she wrote. Whitfield breezes through the songs, playing cleanly whether mixing chords with a string of single notes, or doing a high-speed riff. Davis, Mark Jr. and Nakamura deliver solid accompaniment, at times stretching out on their own.

Highlights include “Afro Samurai,” “Double Trouble” and “Undiscovered.”

Whitfield’s first recording was 1990’s Marksman (Warner Bros.). The New York Times named him “The Best Young Guitarist in the Business.” His sons began playing at a young age and have since accompanied the leader, making theirs a family band.

“I wanted to share my love of music with sons, and use this love to forge a bond between the three of us that would enrich our lives, enlighten our consciousness and support us through the toughest of times,” Whitfield says.

All nine songs on Grace are original works. Whitfield composed music for all but the closing track, “Pulse Pt. 2,” which was written by Davis and Mark Jr. Smith wrote lyrics for “Grace.”