Baritone saxist Alex Manoukas teams with trombonist Nick Adema to mix bop and soul on this album with a full bodied horn section of Evan Dalling/tp, Brenon Parmar/as, David Hodgson/ts-ss, and a rhythm team of Josh Smiley/p, Leighton Harrell/b and Keith Barstow/dr. Adema leads the charge on the modal romp “Three Step Deal” while Manoukas burns rubber as he peels out on the rapid bopper “In The Weeds”. Smiley is hip on the swinging “ New Roots” and Barstow digs in deep for “Runnin’”. Hodgson’s soprano is sweet on Thelonious Monk’s “Reflections” with the horns producing a harrowing read of “’Round Midnight”. Roots dug deep.