A two-CD live recording of Eddie Daniels on his return to his hometown New York after 20 years, recorded live at The Iridium club.
When you have a live performance, excellent recording and tremendous players all coming together it is noteworthy. That is exactly what you have in this two CD package. The result is one of those recorded experiences you hate to put down.. I have played this two record package many times and, folks, it only gets better. These five men do not consist of a band that works together regularly yet they have great regard for each others' skills and have the ears to blend together to make jazz the miracle that it can be at its best. First, Eddie Daniels - he not only plays his customary clarinet but also the tenor sax. Lest you forget, he once was a member of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis aggregation and in that band he played a lot of tenor sax. He knows his way around on that instrument and uses it with great results many places in this setting. Unless you have been off the planet for a long time, you will know that he is THE clarinet player at this time.
Tom Ranier is one of those pianists who just knows how to swing and when he accompanies just knows what to put down and what to leave out. He has several solos and uses them to great advantage. The bassist, Dave Finck and the drummer Joe La Barbara do get solo space. The latter several times in trading 4's and 8's with the front line. Both could be described as very tasty in their playing. They are right there backing the front line without failure. Put it altogether and you have a band that just excels. I wish I could have been there to hear them in person.
All in all, a great recording. I urge you to go out and grab this one. Great straight ahead jazz. It doesn't get any better than this.
-- IAJRC - The International Association of Jazz Record Collectors
If there is a better clarinet player anywhere in this world (or any other for that matter) than Eddie Daniels, I've never heard him or her ... Greatness is hard to define and totally subjective, but if you need evidence as to Daniels' greatness as a clarinet and tenor player, make this CD exhibit A.
-- SAX Journal