Keyboardist Scott Kinsey is known for many things — being a close friend and protege of the late Joe Zawinul, an integral member of the iconic fusion band Tribal Tech and pushing subsequent boundaries with his adventurous groups Human Element, the Zawinul Legacy Band and ARC Trio. In a continually evolving career, Scott’s operational motif is embodied by the word “exploratory.” Enter vocalist, songwriter and electric bassist Mer Sal (Meredith Salimbeni), a Coloradan with a fresh presence on the LA scene who spent years honing her songwriting, vocal and performance craft. Through a series of recent and fortuitous introductions to top players and producers, Mer was invited to participate in The Native Dancer Series: A Tribute to Wayne Shorter and Karl Sterling’s Dream: Parkinson's Global Project. Both of these projects saw her performing with many other top-shelf musicians, among them Jimmy Haslip, Gary Novak and Jeff Richman. Adjustments displays some of Kinsey’s most innovative writing, playing and arranging to date and may owe to having Sal as talented muse, but it’s also the singer’s authenticity that grounds Kinsey’s work like never before. In their own way, what Scott Kinsey and Mer Sal exhibit on Adjustments speaks to an intersection as uniquely compelling as when Jaco met Joni. A modern entity, to be heard on its own terms. In light of the music that she and Scott have brought forth here, listeners will happily make their own Adjustments. -Mike Jacobs, AllAboutJazz