Uneven - mostly disappointing
I'm a big fan of John Dankworth, but eMusic doesn't yet seem to have much of his good stuff. The production values here are terrible, with some instruments inaudible but the brass and drums overpowering. The effect is made worse by arrangements which rely heavily on "surprise" blasts from the trumpet section. The solos are pedestrian, even Dankworth's. They manage to make "Take the 'A' Train" boring, which is no mean feat. The last four tracks were not "recorded live," but sound like a studio session with an entirely different (and much better) band. Presumably these are the "Bonus Tracks from 'The Criminal.'"
