This single CD has all of the music from two of pianist
Phineas Newborn's RCA records, except for leaving "Down Home" off from
Fabulous Phineas due to space limitations. The first set is rather unusual since it was the pianist's only album with a medium-size (ten-piece) band. The ten songs are all taken from the
Harold Arlen musical Jamaica, a forgotten play that did not generate any hits.
Newborn and the musicians (which include trumpeter
Ernie Royal, trombonist
Jimmy Cleveland, the reeds of
Jerome Richardson, and
Sahib Shihab and two Latin percussionists) play quite well, even if the material is mostly forgettable. The second half of the CD is on a higher level, a quartet date (with guitarist
Calvin Newborne, bassist
George Joyner, and drummer
Denzil Best) that puts the focus on the leader's brilliant piano playing. In fact, these versions of "Cherokee" and "What's New" are unaccompanied piano solos; other highlights include "No Moon at All" and "I'll Remember April." This generous CD is a gap-filler since both of these
Phineas Newborn albums have been out of print for quite some time.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi