A really unusual slice of work from pianist
Elsie Bianchi – not just because the tracks here have never been heard before, but also because they feature
Elsie playing some Hammond, in addition to her usual piano – and the recording was also made in Atlanta, and not some of the European locales that
Bianchi normally played! The tunes are often in a soulfully swinging vibe – so that even when they're numbers from an older generation, they get a cool small club combo treatment – very late 60s, with
Elsie at the keys, Peter Brunner on drums – and Siro
Bianchi on both bass, and some great tenor and flute! When
Elsie plays the organ, she handles the bass – so Siro steps in on those tunes with very groovy work on reeds – and as usual for
Bianchi, she also sings a bit too – although a good part of the set is instrumental. The material here was recorded in a Georgia nightclub in 1968, and the tapes sat in storage for years – but this late side of
Bianchi's 60s career really comes to light strongly – on titles that include "Canalla", "Take Five", "Now's The Time", "Swingin Shepherd Blues", "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", and "Alice In Wonderland".