Life Imitates Art is a quiet delight. Steve Glotzer takes a folksy approach to jazz, adding Latin sounds and blues to create a personal and unique sound. Most of the ten songs are original, with three covers, and they all display his expertise on the guitar.

I particularly liked "Tucson," one of the two songs with vocals on the album. I've been listening to a lot of blues lately, and "Tucson" is a blues song with all the traditional elements -- yet done in a meditative, folk style that's an fascinating and effective contrast to typical blues styles (although I'd love to hear it done in that style, too!).

I also immediately loved the Latin-flavored "Los Cabos Serenade." Glotzer blends its elements into a piece that's strongly Latin without losing any of its jazz tone. "A Taste of Blue" is classic quiet jazz, with a trumpet effectively used to set off the other instruments rather than taking center stage as they often do -- unusual and very nicely done.

The liner notes are sparse, and I would have enjoyed reading more about the individual pieces. They do include the lyrics to the two songs that have lyrics, which is nice; both "Tucson" and Glotzer's cover of Tom Waits' "Diamonds on My Windshield."

People who like quiet and skillful jazz will like this album, I think, as would folk music fans who are exploring jazz. It's a pleasure to hear.