Not so long ago, the Strickland twins seemed to be on loads of recordings. They even had their own label. But now that tenor saxophonist Marcus has two CDs as leader on Blue Note, E.J.’s latest (that’s Enoch Jamal, by the way) is on an independent imprint, while he continues his individual travels with contrasting-styled bands as diverse as those of Ravi Coltrane, Manuel Valera, Reggie Washington and Christian Sands. His new group is arguably the most exciting he’s led so far.In our December/January issue, this writer suggested that readers watch out for altoist Godwin Louis, who has already been featured on a couple of Orrin Evans sessions. Here he is given the opportunity to really stretch out. Image-conscious, he’s colourfully attired and reels off chorus after chorus of seemingly endless innovation and originality. Time will tell, but Louis could turn out to be a very important alto player indeed. E.J. has teamed him with the outstanding Croatian saxophonist, now resident in New York, Jure Pukl, who is especially effective on tenor here. Together they make a terrific frontline. Pianist Taber Gable is another extremely talented newcomer. He seems to relish every note he plays and already has an original style. Bassist Ginsburg has worked with several major artistes, including Tom Harrell and Jeremy Pelt, and fits in perfectly. As for E.J., he just gets better and better. His whirlwind multi-faceted drumming is like a continuous solo at times, but constantly swinging and always subtle. Except for the melodic title-tune and one ballad, the material is stimulatingly up-tempo. A great album to start a new year.