A killer album from Johnny Richards – possibly the best he ever cut! The album sparkles with all the intensity he brought to Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire album – with bits of Latin, jazz, and some of the modernist scoring that Kenton, Richards, and Pete Rugolo were using at the time. However, the main thing about this album is that it swings like a mo-fo – moving past any tricks and gags to hit a strong jazz mode, with excelelnt solo work by players like Frank Socolow, Gene Quill, and trumpeter Burt Collins. Willie Rodriguez brings some nice Latin percussion to the set – and titles include "Cimarron", "Eyes", "Nipigon", and "The Ballad Of Tappan Zee". LP, Vinyl record album