The legendary Sear Sound Studios on New York’s 48th Street seem to be as ideal a setting for recording this trio as the Village Vanguard is for their live sets. The trio’s work is brilliantly captured, from the subtlest nuances of Fortner’s playing on the (clearly in tip-top condition) piano, via the clear rounded tone of Washington’s bass to the arsenal of percussive effects from Gilmore, ranging from subtle to strongly assertive. The opening title track (by Allen Toussaint) catches the trio’s interplay well, with Fortner’s trills, downward smears, and nattily embellished theme romping along in a mid-tempo four to the bar. When they tackle a piece such as ‘Daahoud’ the trio interplay comes to the fore before Gilmore takes solo honours. The time feel is decidedly elastic in ‘Waltz For Monk’ (by Donald Brown) but it cleverly draws the listener in, as does Woody Shaw’s ‘Organ Grinder’, which closes the album. Like many of his fellow New Orleans players, Fortner has plenty of space and relaxation in his playing, even when the speed and complexity of a piece would normally suggest otherwise. His own ‘9 Bar Tune’ is a case in point, but the highlight of this aspect of the disc is the version of Cole Porter’s ‘I Love You’ which emerges from a fragmentary piano introduction to a fascinating collective exploration, and once it sets off, a tempo approaching 200 bpm which never seems rushed. Overall, an enthralling listen from a trio at the top of its game.