One of the many fine musicians to come out of New Orleans, drummer Herman Riley is probably best known for his long association with Wynton Marsalis. He's obviously been doing a lot of woodshedding over the years, because here he emerges as an interesting composer and a leader who is following in the footsteps of Art Blakey by presenting a band of extremely talented youngsters, none of whom we have heard before. The tunes themselves are pretty eclectic, with Mark Whitfield making a strong contribution to his only guest appearance on the title track. The brilliant percussionist Pedrito Martinez makes ‘The Cross Bar’ and ‘The Big Banana’ two of the most interesting tracks and he works beautifully with the piano, bass and drums team. Harris, the only one of the newcomers over 30, sounds very comfortable over the three percussive tracks, especially ‘Connection to Congo Square’. Emmett Cohen is an extremely promising new pianist and Russell Hall is a tower of strength at all tempos, while the saxophonist Godwin Louis probably sounds best on alto in his solo spots. But the leader is the star, playing with great taste throughout, always swinging and bringing in some excellent, very melodic compositions. For this writer, the most interesting Mack Avenue release for some time.