This advanced hard bop session from 1960 was previously unreleased until it appeared on a Vee-Jay CD in 1994. Altoist
Frank Strozier is heard with a Chicago-based trio comprised of pianist Billy Wallace, bassist
Bill Lee and drummer
Vernel Fournier. The CD really gives listeners two records in one because of the seven songs, all but one are heard in two versions and two of the pieces are heard three times.
Strozier is in fine form, the obscure Billy Wallace (mistakenly called Wallace Williams in the liner notes) plays some fiery solos and the performances are satisfying. Still, due to the duplicate titles, one might not want to consume the whole program in one sitting. ~ Scott Yanow