Richcraft pairs
Buddy Rich with arranger
Ernie Wilkins, yielding the most soulful and swinging set of the drummer's Mercury tenure.
Wilkins' bold, exuberant arrangements keep the spotlight squarely on
Rich while also making the utmost of the session's roll call of A-list players (
Phil Woods,
Harry "Sweets" Edison, and
Benny Golson among them) -- unlike so many lesser
Rich dates, the drums never obliterate the other instruments in their path. Credit the name above the title here as well, of course --
Rich's drumming boasts an economy on par with its trademark energy, and songs like "Yardbird Suite" and "From the Sticks" positively crackle with excitement.