Three former Chicagoans--tenorman Clifford Jordan, altoman John Jenkins, and bassist Wilbur Ware--meet here with Philadelphia's Bobby Timmons and North Carolina's Dannie Richmond in the gathering place of the New York forum, circa 1960. The common ground is the material: Jordan's minor-key "Cliff's Edge"; Jenkins's subtly-shifting "Princess" and basic blues "Blue Jay"; Julian Priester's "Soft Talk" with its jamming atmosphere; and a soulful, thoughtful "Tenderly," in which Walter Gross's melody is always hovering about but never fully stated. Timmons, Jordan, and the shadowy, underappreciated Jenkins are gone, so it is especially illuminating to have these efforts with us once again.

with Wilbur Ware, Dannie Richmond