by Scott Yanow
This budget LP from the long-defunct Mount Vernon label does not give the personnel or dates, kind of an odd omission considering that tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest was a much more commercial name in 1959 than leader/trombonist Bennie Green. The quintet set (which also features pianist Sonny Clark, bassist George Tucker and drummer Paul Gusman) does not quite stick to the blues, since there is a ballad and a couple of numbers based on other chord changes (including the familiar &I Got Rhythm& pattern). However, the playing is on a high level. Green and Forrest play off each other well, and the basic originals (highlighted by &Penthouse Blues& and &Hop, Skip and Jump&) are all swinging. This obscure album has been reissued on CD in more recent times by Fresh Sound.