Not to be confused with the CD reissue of the same name (Chiaroscuro 206) recorded in 1979, this reunion encounter by pianists
Ralph Sutton and
Jay McShann (in a quartet with bassist
Milt Hinton and drummer
Gus Johnson) is up to the same level of the original dates, with plenty of heated moments on songs such as "Old Fashioned Love," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Cherry," and "I've Found a New Baby." While
Sutton is the definitive stride pianist of the past half-century,
McShann (who also takes a couple of vocals) finds space to infuse the music with a strong dose of blues and Kansas City swing. A seven-minute "Jazzspeak" wraps up the enjoyable outing with some reminiscing about the sessions. ~ Scott Yanow