Back in the 1990s, Eric Reed was a fairly regular visitor to the UK. Sadly, some 20 years later, we hardly ever see him, which is a shame because he is playing so well. One of the secrets of this live Smoke session's success is that he's reunited after some 15 years with drummer Hutchinson. Several of the tunes are either reworkings of tracks they recorded together back then or others written for joint dates that never materialised. But the whole CD is full of inspired solos and writing, with Seamus Blake excelling on, for instance, the opening Clifford Jordan tune called ‘Powerful Paul Robeson’ (from the Glass Bead Games album), the Coleman-inspired free-jazzish ‘Ornate’ and the two outstanding down-tempo tracks: Eric's moving minor bluesy ‘Until the Last Cat Has Swung’ and Christian McBride's excellent should-be-a-standard ‘The Shade of the Cedar Tree’ where Blake lovingly interprets the melody line, followed by tender, eloquent solos by himself and Reed, who displays such elegance and eloquence. Ben Williams has only one solo spot, but plays a really important part in the record's success. Hutchinson is on top form throughout with impressive solos on the Parker-inspired ‘Bopward’ (with excellent Blake soprano) and ‘Manhattan’. Reed's ‘Gentle Giant’ (for Mulgrew Miller) is another standout and the closing title tune is ‘Show Me The Way to Go Home’ under yet another name. A terrific record.