On Jan. 3, 1958,
Gene Ammons led one of his last all-star jam sessions for Prestige. The most notable aspect to this date (which resulted in two albums of material) is that it featured among its soloists
John Coltrane, on alto. This CD, a straight reissue of one of the original LPs, includes baritonist
Pepper Adams, the tenor of
Paul Quinichette and
Coltrane on two of the four selections and
Jerome Richardson's flute during three of the songs in addition to a fine rhythm section (pianist
Mal Waldron, bassist
George Joyner and drummer
Art Taylor). This set consists of three of
Waldron's originals in addition to the standard ballad "It Might as Well Be Spring" and it (along with the CD
The Big Sound) fully documents the productive day. ~ Scott Yanow