This is one of the finest, steamiest, and greasiest records ever issued on this label. For one thing, there is the inclusion of Catalonian pianist Tete Montoliu, and as if that wasn't enough to get excited about, the inclusion of the most soulful drummer in jazz, Idris Muhammad, should do the trick. But that's just the tip of what's shakin' here. Tenor saxophonist and bandleader Eladio Reinon is a bad, bad mother on his horn. This set was cut for his 30th birthday, and forget Josh Redman, Gregory Tardy, Ravi Coltrane, and all of them -- except Branford and Courtney Pine -- because this cat is excellent. His arranging style is much like the work done in the Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis big bands and the middle-period Blakey sides, where the band comes out stompin' and gradually opens up the circle for a soloist who blows for it, brings in another one, and then the hole closes again and the band takes it out. The tunes here are a mix of originals and covers. Of the originals, the wild and wooly, on-the-edge opener, "La Cita," takes the cake with its trumpet and tenor solos. Of the covers, the selection is eclectic. Theirs is a gorgeous reading of "Historia de un Amour" by Carlos Almarian (featuring a stunning solo by Montoliu), but there's also a lovely version of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" and one of Benny Golson's "Stablemates" that balances the swing and blues perfectly. The long version of "Like Someone in Love" showcases the lyrical nature of Reinon's playing and his instinctive interplay with trumpeter Matthew Simon as well as Montoliu. This is as kicking a debut as you're likely to find in mainstream jazz. ~ Thom Jurek