Jim DeJulio's debut as a leader features his bass in a variety of settings. Although he takes solo space on all of the songs (fortunately
DeJulio's ideas are fresh and concise), the constant changes in personnel and instrumentation continually hold one's attention on his bop-based album. Clarinetist
Eddie Daniels stars on "Chase, No Straighter," trombonist
Bill Watrous and trumpeter
Glenn Zottola are strong assets and pianists
Paul Smith and
David Benoit are also heard from. In addition,
DeJulio showcases his bass over a synthesizer on melodic versions of "I'm Getting Sentimental over You" and "It Never Entered My Mind" while the closing "Amazing Grace" finds him overdubbing all four parts of a string quartet on bass. A lot of planning went into this set yet the results still sound spontaneous.