This album was recorded a number of years ago, so it’s dedicated to the late trombonist and founding member Clifford Adams, who’s featured on this hard bop combo along with of James Steward/ts, Lee Smith/b, Luke O’Reilly/p, Craig McIver/dr, Fred Adams/tp and Alfie Pollitt/p on this mix of originals and jazz standards.
The team shows an allegiance to vintage Blue Note action, mixing in a couple Hank Mobley tunes (“Three Way Split” and “Work Out”) which have peppy grooves, crisp drum work and macho solos by Adams and Steward. The three horns create rich harmonies on Fred Adams’ “Bossa For Desta” and are pretty as they float around Pollitt’s piano on the soft “The Interlude.” Smith is languid under Fred Adams’ sweet horn for “The Trumpet Song” while McIver’s cymbals coax the front l ine for “Dance of Six Sense.”
A nice tribute to a lost leader, as well as to the heart of modern jazz.