After doing the Berklee thing, plugging all the local hot spots from the Plough & Stars to the Regattabar, writing a sheaf of dandy original material and covering plenty of other good stuff, MISS TESS took off for Brooklyn two years ago with the rotating cast of her BON TON PARADE. Last night she was back at a familiar haunt, the Lizard Lounge, celebrating the release of a two-disc set, Live Across the Mason Dixon Line — one half recorded at the R-bar, the other at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia.

A jazz supergroup of sorts made its debut at Scullers this week. The Joe Lovano/Dave Douglas quintet, calling itself Soundprints, rolled into town for sets Tuesday and last night. Advance word was that this was a Wayne Shorter-devoted project, which Douglas confirmed from the stage Wednesday night. His own 1997 album Stargazer was a Shorter dedication, and this band’s name itself is an allusion to Shorter’s “Footprints.

After three songs at the Regattabar with his trio on March 16, Dan Tepfer introduced the next number as “the only tune that really swings on the CD.” He sort of wasn’t kidding. Tepfer favors all kinds of odd and mixed meters, and that tune, an original called “Diverge” (from Five Pedals Deep, on Sunnyside), was the only one in which drummer Colin Stranahan played a standard-swing dotted rhythm on his ride cymbal.

After more than 50 years, the pre-1950s American Songbook is beginning to lose some of its grip on mainstream jazz. Or, at least, other songs are coming in. At the Lily Pad last Thursday night, the young Canadian singer Amy Cervini (a 2000 New England Conservatory grad) did indeed sing the standard "Come Love." And she sang it backed by a standard jazz-piano trio.

All we really know is that Gang Starr Foundation legend Big Shug will be rocking with a jazz band at Wally's Cafe this Sunday (8/16) night at 9pm. The set should be interesting, as Shug has been showcasing his vocal range quite a bit lately, lacing hooks for cats including Termanology and even recording his own r&b album, Living Room, with producer Moss and Christina Aguilera engineer Charles Roane (check this recent Phoenix feature on Shug for more).