Pianist
James Williams learned a great deal from his stint with
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and when he emerged from the group he was perfectly qualified to be a bandleader. His Sunnyside session features such up-and-coming players as guitarist
Kevin Eubanks, the reeds of
Billy Pierce and
Bill Easley, bassist
Ray Drummond, and drummer
Tony Reedus on a set of original material. Five of the seven songs were composed by
Williams, while the other two (including the memorable "Waltz for Monk") were contributed by
Donald Brown. The frequently exciting music (high-quality modern hard bop) still sounds fresh. ~ Scott Yanow