Listening to this release from drummer
Winard Harper's group, it is very easy and logical to think of
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The music is mostly straight-ahead hard bop, and even overlooking
Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere" (which is straight from
Blakey's repertoire), most of the cuts are very much in the same style. Trumpeter
Patrick Rickman is a fine player influenced by
Lee Morgan and
Freddie Hubbard; Brian Horton contributes some excellent saxophone solos, and pianist
Jeb Patton excels quite well in the modern mainstream setting. The biggest surprises are an instrumental medium-tempo version of "Here's to Life," and a couple percussion features. Fans of straight-ahead jazz will easily enjoy this fine effort. ~ Scott Yanow