Classic hard bop quintet ideas a la Horace Silver and Art Blakey are moderned up by pianist and composer Zachary Bartholomew and his hard hitting team of Marty Quinn/b, Rodolfo Zuniga/b, Benny Benack III?tp and David Fernandez/ts-ss. The threesome shows its wares on the well grooved “Crazy Socks” and the cantor of the multi-mooded “Sunny Days Driven By” and the creative “Balancing Act”. Fernandez’s soprano is festive on “The Long and Winding Road” and displays a beefy tenor on the muscular “ Hobo’s Lullaby” while Benack is warm and polished on the hip “Crazy Socks”. The leader is filled with ideas, with solos as on “Mirror Image” that weave creativity with cohesion. Strong struts.