Though the concept of this CD pays tribute to the musicians born in his hometown of Indianapolis – like Wes and Buddy Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard and JJ Johnson – who helped him get started, legendary drummer Ray Appleton's octet is possibly the nearest thing you'll hear to an Art Blakey tribute band. ‘Killer’ Ray, whose last recording was in 1996 on Sharp Nine using Slide Hampton and Charles McPherson, had worked in the 1960s with Coltrane and Hubbard before heading to Europe for nearly two decades, where his involvement in a car accident necessitated the amputation of part of his leg. Now in his early sixties, he retains a remarkable ability to swing a band in a classic Blakey style. The band itself, with trumpeter Lynch, whose label this is, playing a key production role, could easily be mistaken for one of the later Jazz Messengers groups. Both saxophonists play with the fire and passion of the best Blue Noters of the era, especially Hendrickson-Smith and Germanson's solos have a lot of Bobby Timmons-type soulfulness. The material includes tunes by Wes Montgomery (one of Ray's special heroes), Hubbard (‘Backlash’ on the original recording of which Ray played drums) and JJ, plus standards including ‘Out of This World’ and ‘Flamingo’. In the middle of all these stompers, there's a tasteful introspective out-of-tempo Peter Bernstein guitar track, but basically it's hard bop at its best, which swings incessantly. The sound could be better, but the spirit conquers all. Retro, raw and robust, and all the better for it!