Groovin' for Nat

by Scott YanowOn this somewhat obscure Black Lion release (which has been reissued on CD), Donald Byrd teams up with fellow trumpeter Johnny Coles, pianist Duke Pearson, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Walter Perkins for a set of music dominated by hard bop originals; "Angel Eyes" and "Out Of This World" are the only standards. Augmented by three previously unreleased alternate takes, this straightahead session finds Cole's brittle tone sounding more distinctive than Byrd's (who is in more of a Lee Morgan vein) but everyone plays well. Recommended.