Mabern really is a remarkable talent. At 81, he's still playing with the passion of a man at least half his age and his ace pupil Eric Alexander continues to grow in stature from record to record. In fact, all Alexander fans should make a point of hearing his one original here – ‘The Iron Man’ (a Mabern nickname), a 12-bar with a bridge. I haven't heard a track swing like this for simply ages and the relentlessly storming rhythm-team groove is so strong, it gets Eric right out of himself. He's equally effected on the other up-tempos, like Lee Morgan's ‘The Gigolo’ and McCoy Tyner's ‘Inner Glimpse’ and the down-tempo closer, Gene Ammons' classic blues ‘Hittin’ the Jug’. Another of Mabern's top pupils, hardhitting trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, also excels on his three tracks – ‘Gigolo’, ‘Glimpse’ and ‘So What’. Mabern's own career is touched upon by all the tunes he's chosen. He played briefly with Miles when Cobb was there. He was also the third pianist with the Art Farmer – Benny Golson Jazztet after Tyner and Cedar Walton. One of his early influences was Bobby Timmons and there's a solo piano version of ‘Dat Dere’. The standards (‘Funny Valentine’ apart) are all unhackneyed, including a very original approach to Cole Porter's ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’. His instantly identifiable style makes every track come alive. An excellent CD and another feather in the cap for Smoke's producer Paul Stache. Alexander fans: don't forget to seek out that ‘Iron Man’ track. It's terrific!