Milt Hinton's major label debut as a leader (at age 85), other than a 1955 date for Victor, finds the great bassist utilizing two separate rhythm sections on a variety of standards. In addition to fine solos from pianists
Richard Wyands and
Derek Smith, there are guest appearances by trumpeter
Jon Faddis (who defies his stereotype by sounding closer here to
Roy Eldridge than to
Dizzy Gillespie) and veteran
Harold Ashby whose warm tenor recalls
Ben Webster. Even if
Hinton's three vocals are one too many, his singing has its charm. The finale "The Judge and the Jury" adds four other bassists for a very musical tribute to one of the few veterans of the 1920s still to be heard in his prime in the mid-'90s.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi