Thirty-four-year-old Odman is a new name to me, but this stalwart of the Turkish scene already has two previous CDs recorded in NYC, and his present project is impressive. There may not be a huge queue to celebrate the centenary next year of arranger- composer Tadd Dameron, but this is a good start, not only using his material but bringing something extra to the table. As chief soloist, Stafford has probably never played better on record, while Grissett and Washington are very presentable too, but the careful use of strings (arranged by Irishman-in-New- York, O’Rourke) adds more spice than schmaltz. Programming is clever since, with so many excellent tunes at medium (e.g. ‘On A Misty Night’) or slow (‘Soultrane’) tempos, they dominate the opening and closing sections, using the more groovy material as a centrepiece. The only one of the eight tracks to have no trumpet or strings is the drum feature, ‘Look, Stop And Listen’, originally written for Philly Joe Jones, where Odman’s contribution highlights how discreet and positive he is elsewhere.