First issued back in the 1980s, now available again on vinyl (mastered by Cicely Baston at Air), this might be called a typical mid-1960s Ben Webster date, this time at a forgotten venue in Rhode Island. Although alarmingly brief even for an LP of the time, the great tenorist manages to squeeze in several favourite themes -‘Sunday’, ‘Gone With The Wind’, ‘How Long Has This Been Going On?‘ etc. – all of them dispatched in quintessential mature Webster manner; ballads ooze, mid-tempos stomp and anything above a lope is dealt with in a series of growly asides. What makes this date notable though is the accompanying trio, a top-flight of younger modernists who, Cranshaw especially, give the venerable frontman support that he appears to thrive on. In some senses, this prefigures the kind of backing Webster was shortly to receive in Europe where notions of his being a cosy mainstreamer were provocatively ignored.

Indeed, the recording date (this issue and the original seem to differ, the old LP maintaining it was taped in 1963) means this is late in Ben's Stateside career, putting him right on the cusp of that majestic, final flowering in the Old World. Like the old tapes from Ronnie Scott's that the late Les Tomkins made available, this, however, isn't quite Webster's best, the indifferent audio quality robbing much from that memorable tone. In summary, if not exactly essential Ben, it makes a pleasant enough listen, especially during these days of tenor saxophones sounding like bone-dry bassoons.