It's been quite a year for Orrin Evans, who appears to have left Posi-Tone to join Smoke Sessions and both his releases this year are so good they qualify for my year's ‘Best Of’ lists. This is arguably the more interesting, especially as the three have never recorded together before. Though most of the material is, as you'd expect, by Evans himself, the 18 four-to six-minute tracks include tunes by Johnathan Michel (‘Sweet Sid’, a tribute to a great underrated Philadelphia musician Sid Simmons), local trumpeter Jafar Barron (whose ‘Jewels & Baby Yaz’ is one of many high spots) and Tarbaby bassist Eric Revis, a Grover Washington composition (another high spot) as well as three differing versions of ‘All the Things You Are’ – a prelude version, another featuring a vocal by Orrin and his wife and the last – a very acquired taste ultra-slow hip-hoppish interpretation by one JD Walter, the longest track on the album. Orrin brings in guitarist Marvin Sewell for two titles – ‘Wild Wood Flower’ (a very countrified farewell for drummer Matt Wilson's wife, who died of leukemia) and the Washington soul-jazz hit, ‘A Secret Place’. There's also a striking rendition of a tune he's been playing for years, ‘Autumn Leaves’. The whole CD is dedicated to his development as an artist – and a human being. He is totally unselfish in allocating the solo space. In fact, there's more McBride on this record than even on his own trio outing for Mack Avenue. He's absolutely brilliant here, as is Karriem Riggins in his section and solo work. He doesn't seem to make many record dates these days, which, judging by this CD, is a crime. Orrin Evans is a very serious artist. He deserves your full support.