After recording a number of albums during the 1960s and '70s, trumpeter [wimpLink artistId="3526954"]Charles Tolliver[/wimpLink] waited nearly two decades to record as a leader before he released his striking big-band date [wimpLink albumId="1377561"]With Love[/wimpLink] in 2007. This 2009 release, recorded live at the Blue Note, is a potent follow-up, though with substantial changes in personnel. His exotic, dramatic "On the Nile" might suggest the influence of [wimpLink artistId="11348"]McCoy Tyner[/wimpLink]'s works of the '70s, though it was premiered in 1965 by [wimpLink artistId="17282"]Jackie McLean[/wimpLink] and previously recorded by its composer in a big-band setting a few years later. This updated version showcases tenorist [wimpLink artistId="3941526"]Marcus Strickland[/wimpLink], pianist [wimpLink artistId="3529621"]Stanley Cowell[/wimpLink], and the leader in a fiery performance. [wimpLink artistId="3526954"]Tolliver[/wimpLink]'s imaginative scoring of brass and reeds in his "Emperor March," makes it a hip tune that begins as a march but detours into several different avenues, featuring potent solos by alto saxophonist [wimpLink artistId="6421961"]Todd Bashore[/wimpLink], the promising young trombonist [wimpLink artistId="4117394"]Michael Dease[/wimpLink], and pianist [wimpLink artistId="4156470"]Anthony Wonsey[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink artistId="3526954"]Tolliver[/wimpLink] takes over the solo spotlight in "Chedlike," a perky tribute from the '80s to his then-young son, though this is surprisingly its premiere recording. [wimpLink artistId="3940677"]Billy Harper[/wimpLink] shines on tenor in [wimpLink artistId="3526954"]Tolliver[/wimpLink]'s passionate setting of [wimpLink artistId="17443"]Billy Eckstine[/wimpLink]'s ballad "I Want to Talk About You," a piece forever associated with [wimpLink artistId="9042"]John Coltrane[/wimpLink]'s famous live recording, which [wimpLink artistId="3940677"]Harper[/wimpLink] can't possibly avoid alluding to in part. Beautifully recorded and mixed with an attentive audience, this is an essential release for modern big-band aficionados. ~ Ken Dryden