On Claude Bolling & Friends, the master of the big-band leads a small-group providing classic jazz in the chamber-music vein. The writing-talents of “Bollington”, together with the brio shown by his guests on various titles, combine to reveal a pared-down approach to some of the music they have been playing with excellence in a big-band format for over twenty-five years. Claude Bolling shows himself here to be a pianist much younger than his years would suggest, and the loving, sophisticated generosity in his playing makes this album a testament to his work as an ambassador for the vivacity that still exists in classic jazz. Patrick FReMEAUX
