If you’re a bass player, you’ll want to add at least two more stars to the rating. Ron Carter is quite superb on this David Chesky-produced session, which brings together the much recorded Jackson (14 albums as a leader plus countless as sideman), sounding more like an altoist in places, with Paul Desmond at times, with Carter and sympathetic veteran drummer Drummond for 10 titles, including three Carter compositions, of which the seven-minute tribute to guitarist Jim Hall is the most striking. Then there’s a Jackson original dedicated to Freddie Hubbard, Monk’s ‘Epistrophy’, which features a serious drum solo by Drummond, two traditional tunes with Jackson credited as arranger (‘Danny Boy’ and the Russian folk song ‘Dark Eyes’) and two unhackneyed standards – ‘We’ll Be Together Again’ and ‘But Beautiful’, a particularly effective closer. Jackson displays a sensitive side to his concept that we haven’t heard before and plays with much feeling throughout. But Ron Carter is the star, with special mention for his counter melodies and thoughtful imaginative solos on every track. (Incidentally, Jeremy Pelt’s new HighNote CD also features Carter and Drummond – plus Danny Grissett on piano).