Hegarty has been on the New York scene for some 25 years now, with regular gigs in Gil Evans bands probably his best publicised. Actually, he's an excellent tenor player and this CD, along with recently reviewed records by Tim Warfield and the Steve Fishwick/Osian Roberts band making early 2014 a bumper year for hard bop fans. Hegarty's tutors included Frank Foster, George Coleman, Frank Wess and Jimmy Heath – all masters of the genre. This is Hegarty's tribute to his teachers – and Bird, Trane, Rollins, Dexter and the other giants of the time, using an A-list of seasoned veterans – the immaculate Kenny Barron, the deep-toned always interesting Rufus Reid and the tastefully swinging Carl Allen – in a rhythm section which sounds so tight you'd think it worked together every night. Producer Mark Sherman's Milt Jackson-influenced vibes bring additional colour to four tracks. There are four of Heath's originals: one each by Foster, Coleman and Joe Henderson (the consistently challenging ‘Inner Urge’) plus Monk's ‘Pannonica’ and two good Hegarty originals. His sound and feel is probably nearest to that of Dexter Gordon, and maybe some early Sonny. A fat tone, a basic feel for the blues and making every note count. For Hegarty, this is a dream date and a worthy tribute to his idols. The opening 12-bar (by Heath) says it all!