The legacy here is a strong one – given that most of the players on the set have their roots in some of the most soulful jazz of the 60s and 70s! Trumpeter Charles Tolliver's the first member listed of the ensemble, but it's hardly his group – and is more of a collective effort between players who include Gary Bartz on alto and soprano sax, Grachan Moncur on trombone, John Hicks on piano, Mickey Bass on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all musicians who really do a lot here to recreate the soulful sound of the indie jazz scene of the 70s. Bass produced the record, and it's issued on his own Early Bird label – home to a few other great dates like this – and titles include "Brother Rick", "The Juggler", "Avotcja", "A For Pops", "Do A Funny Dance", and "Franess". CD

A real 70s stormer from Frank Foster – recorded with the Loud Minority ensemble used for the Mainstream album of the same name, done in a style that's a bit more straight ahead, yet still plenty darn soulful! Frank's hanging here between the two sides of his career – working in a larger band mode at one level, yet also scoring some charts that are a lot hipper than anything the Basie generation might have imagined! The rhythm section on the set features Mickey Tucker on piano, Earl May on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums – augmented by a bit of extra percussion and guitar from time to time, in a way that really makes the tunes skip along nicely. Frank himself is on both soprano and tenor sax – sounding great on the album's title remake of his "Manhattan Fever" – and also stretching out on longer tunes that include Ronnie Matthews' great "Marie Jean", and Frank's originals "Thruway Traffic" and "Four Five Six". LP, Vinyl record album