This single CD reissues all of the music from a former LP and a ten-inch LP. Of greatest interest are two fairly long selections (the blues "I Wrote This for the Kid" and a stomping "The Kid and the Brute") that match
Illinois Jacquet with fellow tenor great
Ben Webster. Since they have equally passionate and distinctive sounds, their "battle" is a draw. Otherwise, this 1998 CD finds
Jacquet with his band of the mid-1950s, featuring short solos and fine support from trumpeter
Russell Jacquet, trombonist Matthew Gee and either
Leo Parker or
Cecil Payne on baritone.
Jacquet is at his best on the uptempo numbers, such as "Jacquet Jumps" and two versions of "On Your Toes," where he gets to honk in strategic places. An excellent example of
Illinois Jacquet's hard-swinging and accessible music. ~ Scott Yanow