On his fourth album as a leader, tenor saxophonist has clearly settled into a musical comfort zone; those familiar with 's earlier work will find no surprises here. He even does a reverent version of an old , as he had on 2004's , this time essaying a heartfelt take on that he takes at a funereal pace before breaking into a more raucous group sound that showcases trumpeter and a thundering piano part by . That song sums up as a whole: while 's style of small-combo is entirely familiar, he and his group play with an admirable level of engagement with both each other and the material. Said material is evenly split between originals and ranging from 's (played as a medley with the title track) to isn't even within shouting distance of the , but it's proof that a player can be a traditionalist without being a moldy fig. ~ Stewart Mason