The origin dates and sources for the eight numbers on this nearly hour-long collection aren’t listed, from Sonny Lester’s archives, but it’s possible to take a guess based on the fact that Jacquet is playing with Jimmy McGriff and Buddy Rich on six of the numbers. In fact, some of these seem almost to be Jimmy McGriff sessions for the most part, where Jacquet gets a prominent role, probably dating between 1966 and 1970 or so. The material here is as good a showcase for McGriff, electric keyboardman Kenny Baron, and guitarist George Freeman as it is for Jacquet, who is surprisingly in the background on a lot of what’s here. All of the playing is impressive, with much of what’s here downright dazzling (check out “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing”). Strangely enough, for a disc supposedly showcasing Jacquet, it is George Freeman who gets a lot of the spotlight throughout, especially on the blues intrumental “How Long,” where he shares center stage with Jacquet. – Bruce Eder
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