Bassist Cecil McBee had not led a recording date since the mid-’80s before heading this 1996 session for Palmetto. Rather than being a showcase for his distinctive bass solos, the set is most significant for featuring eight of McBee’s diverse originals. The quirky pieces include an eccentric “Pantamine,” the tongue-in-cheek humor of “Catfish” (which at one point sounds like Dixieland filtered through Charles Mingus), the driving “Sleeping Giant,” a jazz waltz (“Lucia”) and the wild blues “Slippin ‘n Slidin’.” All of the musicians fare quite well, particularly the passionate Eric Dolphy-inspired altoist Randall Connors and the versatile pianist David Berkman (whose playing ranges from McCoy Tyner to being nearly free on “Inside Out”). Trumpeter James Zollar tends to be more hard bop-oriented (showing humor with a plunger mute), while drummer Matt Wilson constantly pushes and inspires the musicians. The high musicianship and consistent inventiveness of Cecil McBee and his sidemen (along with the interesting tunes) make this a CD worth picking up. – Scott Yanow