With this album, Marsalis distances himself from the (favorable) comparisons to the classic 1950s Miles Davis Quintet(s)--instead the overall sound and feel here is that of a mid-1960s Blue Note session. Two players who were integral to that legendary period in jazz history are present here: tenor titan Joe Henderson and drummer Elvin Jones (who was in John Coltrane's Quartet and, since, an important bandleader in his own right).
Unlike some of the Blue Note dates, this album is thick with a blues feel--the tunes are haunting and moody, with a covert feeling of yearning and loss. Marsalis sounds less like Miles and more like himself, the rhythm section surges with power, tension and restraint and Henderson proves once again he's one of the best tenor players on the jazz scene today. (He sounds like a synthesis of the best aspects of Coltrane, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins.) A potent and moving set.
