For a brief time, tenor saxophonist
Clifford Jordan and trumpeter
Art Farmer were the frontline of
the Horace Silver Quintet. This 1997 CD reissue finds the group (which also includes bassist
Teddy Kotick and drummer
Louis Hayes) performing five of
Silver's lesser-known originals and the standard "Ill Wind." The lyrical
Farmer and the up-and-coming
Jordan have plenty of fine solos, as does the influential
Silver, whose funky, witty style stood apart from the prevailing
Bud Powell influence of the era. Although none of the newer songs caught on as standards, this set (which has plenty of mood and groove variation) holds together very well and still sounds fresh 40 years later. ~ Scott Yanow