Since 1974,
Cedar Walton
's
Eastern Rebellion
outfit has, on different occasions, been fronted by tenor saxophonists
Clifford Jordan
,
Bob Berg
, and
George Coleman
, with trombonist
Curtis Fuller
and trumpeter
Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros
appearing as guests. The longstanding core trio of pianist
Walton
, bassist
David Williams
(replacing
Sam Jones
), and
Billy Higgins
are now joined by tenor man
Ralph Moore
for more of the inspired and well-oiled hard bop the group are known for. Driven by
's provocative and involved accompaniment,
Moore
ably displays his lithe and tart horn work on the leader's blues-tinged,
Thelonious Monk
-inspired swinger
"John's Blues"
and the
' original
"Bittersweet."
Other fine selections include Latin cooker
"Mosaic"
and a stunning, bossa-nova flavored rendition of
Freddie Hubbard
"Sunflower,"
featuring a masterful solo by
. Along with engaging, unaccompanied solo spots by each quartet member, sultry ballads like
"My Old Flame"
and
"Josephine"
round out the top-notch set. A fine addition to any straight-ahead jazz collection. ~ Stephen Cook