For his third Criss Cross release, guitarist
Peter Bernstein leads an all-star organ combo that also includes tenor saxophonist
Eric Alexander, trombonist
Steve Davis, organist
Larry Goldings, and drummer
Billy Drummond. Some of the music that the quintet performs is typical for this type of hard bop/soul-jazz group, including a hot minor-toned blues, "Means and Ends," and
Percy Mayfield's blues ballad "Danger Zone." However, a few of the other selections (particularly
Bernstein's four originals) are more complex and serve as evidence that the music was being performed in 1996, not 1966. The musicians all play up to their capabilities and
Goldings shows that he was one of the most inventive organists of the decade. ~ Scott Yanow