These guys put out a hip little release last year, and this one’s just as good, if not better. The team of Jon Blanck/ts, Tatum Greenblatt/tp, Matt Oestreicher-steve Einerson/p, Elias Bailey-Chris DeAngelis/b and Josh Feldstein/dr deliver bona fide hard hitting hard bop that reaches into the soul of Horace Silver and Art Blakey. The pungent front line hits the ground running on “Sister Sadie” and also has some fun on intros to “You and the Night and the Music” which has the horns supported simply by a bouncing bass line. Peter Bernstein’s guitar is added judiciously on a soulful “My One and Only Love” and a cooking little samba “Flor De Lis” while Oestreicher’s piano is sublime on “Strollin’ Meets Cute.” The rhythm section sizzles throughout, and Blanck’s tenor is 70% Dark Chocolate rich. This is red meat with grilled onions!