This is a pretty mellow set of bluesy jazz, with
Jack McDuff on organ,
Wendell Marshall on bass,
Alvin Johnson on drums, and
Bill Jennings' brother
Al Jennings on vibes. McDuff switches to the piano for one number, the
Jennings brothers' "Billin' and Bluin'," which, as the title suggests, is as downhome blues as this album gets.
Jennings is more of a tasteful player than a fiery one, but he does crank up the heat for some rapid-fire single-note lines on "Fiddlin'" and "Alexandria, Virginia." Jessie Stone's easy-trotting "Cole Slaw" might get more time (eight minutes) than it merits, but things wrap up on a perkier note with the gently rolling Latin rhythms of "Hey Mrs. Jones."