On this set, trombonist Stan Bock leads a combo comprised of talented local musicians based in Oregon. Their music is primarily straight-ahead, occasionally funky, and usually fitting into the genres of hard bop and soul-jazz. None of the musicians are particularly well-known outside of Oregon, but they are fine players. The music, which with a few exceptions consists of Bock originals and obscurities, includes "Night Flight from Nairobi" (which sounds a bit like
Horace Silver's "Señor Blues"), the likable melody and Latin jazz groove of "Ah Que Linda," "Ms. Bea Goes to Tea" (which is New Orleans-style funk),
Thad Jones' blues "Sho 'Nuff Did," a calypso ("Gabby's Getaway"), and the catchy "Unauthorized Funk." In addition, Bock has a nice feature for his trombone on "I Thought About You." Although not quite essential, this is a solid and enjoyable program of modern mainstream jazz. ~ Scott Yanow