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An all-star group – featuring John SCOfield, Joe LOvano, Dave HOlland, and Al FOster, hence the unusual name of the ensemble – all grooving in an angular mode that recalls the current Blue Note sound at its freshest. Lovano's edgey tenor and soprano work really make the session hold together nicely, as he's got a tone here that almost reminds us of George Braith back in the days when he was recording for Blue Note himself – especially on some of his organ-based sessions. Scofield's guitar is in that cleaner, leaner sound he's using these days – which is a good match for Foster's spare work on rhythm. Titles include "Oh", "Right About Now", "Brandyn", "Faces", "Oh I See", "In Your Arms", and "Shorter Form".

Some great 50s work from modernist George Russell – an expanded version of his work for the RCA label at the time! The first 12 tracks, plus 2 alternates, are from the Jazz Workshop album issued under Russell's name for RCA – A nice little set that's not as arch-modern as some of his later work, with strong playing in kind of that east coast chamber jazz mode that you'd find in some of the other RCA sides of the time. Players include Art Farmer, Hal McKusick, Bill Evans, Barry Galbraith, and Joe Harris – and the tracks are mostly originals, written with slight touches of whimsy, but less of the indulgence on that front as you'd hear on west coast material. Titles include "Witch Hunt", "The Sad Sargeant", "Ballad Of Hix Blewitt", "Knights of The Steamtable", "Jack's Blues", and "Night Sound". Added to these 14 tracks are an additional 4 from the Hal McKusick Jazz Workshop album on RCA – all tunes penned by Russell, and played by a group that's essentially the same as those on Russell's album, with a few slight personnel shifts. Titles include "Lydian Lullaby", "Miss Clara", and "The Day John Brown Was Hanged".