Argentine vocalist Roxana Amed further expands her globally cross-pollinated sound on 2021's poetically expressive Ontology. A native of Buenos Aires, Amed has lived in Miami since relocating to the United States in 2013. Even prior to her move, she had already built a vibrant discography blending South American musical traditions with pop, rock, and harmonically nuanced post-bop jazz. With Ontology, she pushes her stylistically diverse approach to an even higher level, performing her own lyrical original songs alongside compositions by Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, and Alberto Ginastera. Helping her achieve her lush, deeply engaging sound is her ensemble featuring saxophonist Mark Small, pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Edward Perez, and drummer Ludwig Alfonso. Also adding flavor are a handful of guest collaborators, including guitarists Tim Jago and Aaron Lebos, drummer Rodolfo Zuniga, and bassists Lowell Ringel and Carlo De Rosa. There's a sculptural quality to much of Amed's music that's especially evident on tracks like "Peaceful," which she sings in languorous harmony with saxophonist Small. Even when she's singing largely on her own with minimal rubato accompaniment, as on her chamber jazz rendition of Shorter's impressionistic "Virgo," Amed's voice is transfixing, like a classical cellist in meditative rapture. It's an artful sound, bringing to mind the work of British singer Norma Winstone as well as the equally progressive recordings of guitarist Pat Metheny. While Amed sings in both English and Spanish, she often takes a more instrumental approach, eschewing lyrics on the vibrant bop-meets-tango "Milonga Por La Auscencia" and diving headlong into the propulsive Latin jazz rhythms of Ginestera's "Danza del Viejo Boyero." Listening to Ontology is a deeply textured, almost metaphysical experience as Amed deftly pulls together the distinct creative and cultural threads that make up the colorful weft of her artistic identity.