Of the 14 tracks, “Round Midnight” is the closest listeners can get to the lake. It starts off with just sounds of a storm and water moving slowly against the paddles of a boat. Next thing you know, the guitar gently sets you off on a journey into the smooth jazz that is all about telling Stories.

In such an album of musical smarts, it’s hard to choose a favourite. Songstress Dela gracefully hits the high notes while renewing hope to all the hopeless romantics in “All the Things You Are”, a lovely ballad. In “Spaces”, a groovy song complete with rhythmic drum beats, Grey features soulful singer June Gachui. But it is in “Bizuyee”, an Ethio-Kenyan fusion between him and founding father of Ethiopian jazz Mulato Astatke, that Grey expresses his very best. (Mulato spent plenty of quality time with the composer while he recorded and arranged Stories at Ketebul Records.)

Grey isn’t too keen on singing, though he provides all the male background vocals in the album. His ability to play with melodies, however, is magical. A hook up in Nairobi with Congolese singer Solange pulls off a perfectly-executed jazz rendition of the late Franco Luanzo’s “Mario”. Dedicated to developing his versatility, Grey says, “I appreciate all sorts of music, especially that with rich harmony and clever rhythm. In another life, I’d still play jazz-influenced sounds.”

Stories of the Lake is a perfect gift for any jazz lover, a quick fix into a blissful and relaxing affair.