For his second album, ventures into New York's club, with a stellar piano trio ( , ) in tow. With this kind of firepower, the listener is usually guaranteed a satisfying level of cooking jazz, and that's certainly what we get here, though it seldom rises above that into a higher region. 's tune choices are mostly predictable standards, the one exception being his own cheeky title a bop-style number where the bass and then the piano double the tune's lead sax statement. Throughout, likes to fire away the eighth notes in that pungent, -influenced tenor tone, with often temporarily (and generously) dropping out so that the saxophonist can develop freer melodic patterns over the bass and drums. -- taken virtually at 's late employer 's tempo -- does achieve a special ignition, driven hard by , with some exploration of multiphonics by an inspired . Otherwise, a mostly solid live session of post-bop. ~ Richard S. Ginell