Even for a label that likes to catch veteran jazz stars very late in their careers, Telarc nearly outdoes itself by rounding up
Harry "Sweets" Edison (81),
Clark Terry (76),
Frank Wess (75) and
Junior Mance (68) and recording them in a West Side New York nightclub a stone's throw from Lincoln Center. Though the flesh is a little weak at times in the trumpeters, the spirit is fortunately more than willing, and plenty of their inimitable trademarks --
Edison's terse repeated notes and
Terry's slippery phrases -- come through in this swinging, blues-dominated mainstream session.
Wess is in fine shape on flute and tenor, and pianist
Mance contributes a lot of sturdy, stirring, two-fisted blues and a lovely, searching interpretation of "Emily."
Edison wrote half of the eight songs on the disc -- three blues (including his standard "Centerpiece") and a pleasing token bossa nova ("Sweets' Bossa"). If this gig often has the joyous ambience (and occasional signatures) of a
Basie jam, why not?; all three horns are
Basie alums. ~ Richard S. Ginell