One of tenor saxophonist
Budd Johnson's best showcases, Let's Swing! finds him featured in a quintet with his brother
Keg Johnson on trombone, pianist
Tommy Flanagan, bassist
George Duvivier, and drummer
Charlie Persip.
Budd starts off with the ballad feature "Serenade in Blue," then performs three originals, including "Downtown Manhattan" and "Uptown Manhattan," as well as three other veteran standards. Throughout, Johnson sounds both modern, as if he had come of age as one of the "cool school," and timeless, since he was a major player by the mid-'30s. A fine set. ~ Scott Yanow