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 (Jaki Byard)
02. I Fall In Love Too Easy (Sammy Can/Jule Styne)
03. Olean Visit (Jaki Byard)
04. Spanish Tinge (Jaki Byard)
05. Alexander's Ragtime Band
06. On the Spot (Jaki Byard)
07. GEB Piano Roll (Jaki Byard)
08. Second Balcony Jump (Billy Eckstine/G. Valentine/Gerald Valentine)
09. P.C. Blues (Jaki Byard)
10. Snow Flakes (Jaki Byard)
GEORGE TUCKER bass (4)
PAUL CHAMBERS bass
ALAN DAWSON drums (4)
BILLY HIGGINS drums
JAKI BYARD piano, alto saxophone
JIMMY OWENS trumpet, flugelhorn, tambourine
Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, NJ; February 16, 1967
"Spanish Tinge" recorded at Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike, West Peabody, MA; April 15, 1965
Prestige Records, Prestige - P-7524 / Original Jazz Classics - OJCCD-1031-2