De Lawd's Blues
by Scott YanowFor this excellent quintet outing with trumpeter Benny Bailey (making a rare American recording), pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Jimmy Cobb, tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell performs two originals and tunes by Reid ("Perpetual Stroll"), Bailey and Dolo Coker. Despite the mostly obscure material, the interpretations are purely straight-ahead, falling between bop and hard bop in style. The musicians all play up to par on Mitchell's third and final Xanadu album as a leader.