Vance Thompson leads a five man horn section of Michael Wyatt/tp, Joe Jordan/tp, Tylar Bullion/tb and Sean Copeland/btb along with a rhythm section of Keith Brown/key, Taylor Coker/b and Nolan Nevels/dr as well as a reed section of Greb Tardy/ts-bcl, Jamel Mitchell as-ss and David King/bs-ss on this tribute to Monk and Ellingtonia. The band has a very rich and warm sound, and create some colorful and eccentric harmonies on “Four In One” and ‘Ugly Beauty” as Thompson solos on both trumpet and flugelhorn. The band ddelivers a swinging take of “Such Seet Thunder” and adds a bit of salsa into “Rockin’ In Rhythm” and comes off better in the process. They pull off the ringer by Dolly Parton, “Little Sparrow” and do some elegiac moods along the way, and close with a tribute to the dearly departed Charlie Haden on the heart rendering “He’s Gone Away” which is a traditional Appalachian folk song. All through the disc, the rich textures of the horns create a foamy lather that work well whether muted or open, and Tardy does some nice musings on his times in the limelight. Tasty and mature, with a sense of playfulness.