Simply put, this is a great session. Pianist
Don Bennett, a veteran pianist (48 at the time) with an advanced bop-based style, is heard leading a top-notch crew of talented Chicago players. This session, which (other than the lengthy "All the Things You Are") originally came out on Southport, will be a bit of a revelation: not only does it show the somewhat obscure
Bennett to be a major stylist, but it features
Art Porter (best-known for his crossover efforts for Verve Forecast) as a high-powered bop soloist. Another star is the frequently exciting tenor man
Ed Peterson (heard here before he recorded for Delmark), and alternating trumpeters (
Art Hoyle and
Steve Smyth) also fare well.
Bennett not only provided five originals (including "About Time," which sounds like a Blue Note standard from the early '60s), but arranged sections that give this CD a coherent unity. Considering the consistently strong and enthusiastic solos and the freshness of the music, straight-ahead jazz collectors can consider this release essential.