Critic's Review
Greg Turner, All Music Guide
On Cecil Brooks III's third Muse release, the Pittsburgh-born drummer gathers some of the finest young talent in jazz, tenor saxophonist Craig Handy, alto saxophonist Justin Robinson, trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Geoff Keezer, and bassist Christian McBride, to create a modern hard bop classic, a mixture of originals, standards, jazz classics, and a pop tune, all passionately driven from the leader's drum set. Brooks' dynamic drumming is the CD's focal point, characterized by his crisp ride cymbal, well-placed cymbal crashes, poppin' snare drum, booming bass drum, and his ability to groove on different feels and tempos. These attributes are prominently displayed on "Hill District," Brooks' high-energy tribute to his hometown that also features a powerful Brooks solo, Stevie Wonder's "Creepin," a pop tune transformed into a jazzy hard swinger, and Wayne Shorter's "One By One" with the familiar melody played over a reggae groove and McBride on electric bass. Other favorites include "Without a Song," a fine Brooks arrangement of the familiar standard that shifts so smoothly from 3/4 to 4/4 on the bridge that few will notice; "Blues Citizens," a composition stylistically related to Benny Golson's "Blues March" written by frequent Brooks collaborator, pianist/organist Radam Schwartz; and the hard swinging title track. From the opening fanfare to the final drum solo, this is a total group effort, one of the finest jazz recordings of the 1990s and one that has established Brooks as part of the lineage of great Pittsburgh drummers, a group that includes Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, and Jeff "Tain" Watts.
