Although this set closes with three straight standards ("Love Walked In," "Chelsea Bridge," and "In Your Own Sweet Way"), the remainder of the program consists of lesser-known but worthy originals by
Billy Pierce, Donald Brown,
Mulgrew Miller, and trumpeter
Bill Mobley.
Pierce (heard on tenor and soprano) heads a notable quintet also including the great young trumpeter
Terence Blanchard, pianist
Mulgrew Miller, bassist
Ira Coleman, and drummer
Tony Reedus.
Pierce, who was playing at the time with the Tony Williams Quintet, had a brief vacation to record his second CD as a leader, a fairly definitive modern hard bop date that finds him in top creative form. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow