NEW RELEASES : In Brief

* * * 1/2 Vanessa Rubin, “I’m Glad There Is You,” Novus. Subtitled “A Tribute to Carmen McRae,” this is a stylish, well-programmed set in which--though Rubin makes no attempt to imitate her idol--there is a slight resemblance in tone and phrasing. With material such as Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite,” Thad Jones’ “A Child Is Born” and Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” and with numerous guest soloists--Kenny Burrell, Grover Washington, Frank Foster--Rubin has a fail-safe project here.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).