This album mostly features pianist Jaki Byard (who plays alto on "A-Toodle-oo, Toodle-oo") with a quartet comprised of trumpeter Jimmy Owens, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Billy Higgins in 1967. With a repertoire stretching from "I Fall In Love Too Easily" and the boppish "Second Balcony Jump" to "GEB Piano Roll" and even "Alexander's Ragtime Band," the music serves as a perfect outlet for Jaki Byard's eclectic talents; a highlight is the Byard-Chambers duet "P.C. Blues." The recording is rounded off by a leftover track ("Spanish Tinge") from a 1965 live session featuring Byard, bassist George Tucker and drummer Alan Dawson. - Scott Yanow
Tracks
01 - A-Toodle-Oo, Toodle-Oo (Byard)
02 - I Fall in Love Too Easily (Cahn, Styne)
03 - Olean Visit (Byard)
04 - Spanish Tinge (Byard)
05 - Alexander's Ragtime Band (Berlin)
06 - On the Spot (Byard)
07 - GEB Piano Roll (Byard)
08 - Second Balcony Jump (Eckstine, Valentine, Valentine)
09 - P.C. Blues (Byard)
10 - Snow Flakes (Byard)
JAKI BYARD alto saxophone (1), piano
PAUL CHAMBERS bass
GEORGE TUCKER bass (4)
JIMMY OWENS trumpet, flugelhorn, tambourine
ALAN DAWSON drums (4)
BILLY HIGGINS drums
Recorded February 16, 1967 in Englewood Cliffs, NJ
(4) Recorded April 15, 1965 at Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike, West Peabody, MA
Prestige OJCCD-1031-2