A top-notch
R&B
tenor player,
Rusty Bryant
was also an excellent
soul-jazz
and
hard bop
soloist. This CD reissues one of his strongest
jazz
dates, a live session originally put out by the tiny
Phoenix Jazz
label. On five of the six songs,
Bryant
(who sticks throughout to tenor) is assisted by trombonist
Gary Carney
, pianist
Bobby Floyd
, electric bassist
Terry Binns
, and drummer
Joe Ong
, all local musicians from Columbus, OH. The closing
"Love for Sale"
(which may be from a different engagement) has unidentified personnel.
is heard in top form on
"Gettin' in the Groove,"
"Rusty Rides Again,"
and a medley of
"The Entertainer"
"I'm Old Fashioned."
The recording quality is pretty decent, making this an easily recommended set. ~ Scott Yanow