For whatever reason, Javon Jackson has never really made the A lists of contemporary tenor players. Maybe it's his sound, which to the ears of this particular writer, is inclined to be on the bleak side. He often solos in short sharp repeated phrases, followed by blasts of double time. This set is a collection of standards (‘When I Fall in Love’, ‘Where is the Love?’ and Steve Wonder's ‘Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing’) plus a rather lazy-tempo version of Wayne Shorter's Blakey classic ‘One By One’, George Cables' excellent ‘Think on Me’ and five Jackson originals. His playing seems more inspired on his own tunes than the standards. This particular band has his bass and drums regulars, augmented by a relatively restrained Orrin Evans, often low in the mix. Incidentally, the Smoke Sessions label is a welcome newcomer, especially as SmallsLive seems to have gone quiet lately. Smoke is one of NYC's oldest clubs and many musicians have said what a pleasure it is to play there. The sound quality (recording and mixing by Paul Stache) is exceptionally good, as is the packaging, which has a new slant on liner notes where connotator Damon Smith's interviews with the artist are printed at some length.