Well, I have mixed feelings about this. I think my favorite tune on this is "The Morning After" with its dark balladic aspect, and it showcases that Mobley "psycodrama" that Jim talks so well of, and has this odd "Hardbop Tailgate Trombone" writing for Fuller that just really gets me! Most of the album though I hear as a "bag of tricks" session, especially from the horn players and Higgins. Morgan's solos almost all just seem to me to be a string of his "effects" patterns. Mobley puts in some good ones but again using his "bag"---though they do keep my interest for their interplay with Higgins. The Fuller. . . well I just think "that's Curtis" when he's soloing.
The rhythm section keeps this one together. They're very tight, maybe too tight, with Cranshaw and Higgins locked into the groove for each track and really making it almost too slick. Tyner I like here, he really comes up with some interesting little touches in his solos, and his comping is nice, though contributing to the "slickness" for me as well.
I think we all would enjoy this if the remastering had more depth to it, but at least it isn't one of those McMaster SBM teethgrinders!
So thanks for choosing this and making me listen to it again, it's been a while. Partly this suffered because I had played Cannonball's "Live at the Club" right before it (the RVG Special Edition) and it was dimmed a bit in comparison. (THAT is one killer session!) Partly also since I last heard this my listening has been away from a lot of the hardbop/boogaloo sessions from the label at this time, and I seem to see more formulaic manufacturing in these sessions now than I did before. But this is good solid stuff, which I enjoy more when I'm doing something else than just critically listening. . . .