The late, underrated (by the critics back-when, at any rate) Bobby Timmons was one of those "meat & potatoes"-type pianists -- but in his case, the meat is spicy BBQ chicken and the potatoes mashed with plenty of heart-stopping butter. He was, in part, identified (& eventually stereotyped) with the soul-jazz continuum in the late 50s & early 60s, and he had membership in the bands of Art Blakey and Cannonball Adderley to prove it. Timmons also composed an oft-covered standard, "Moanin," perhaps best known in Lambert, Hendricks & Ross' with-lyrics rendition. He had a very melodic approach based in blues and gospel, a bit more funky than swinging (though he mos def could swing, a la Bud Powell), and what he lacked in "harmonic sophistication and erudite subtlety" he more than made up for in wholehearted, soulful joie de vive. The Best of.... is a 14-piece bucket of tasty, piquant, direct jazz: savvy, limber trios with the likes of Sam Jones and Jimmy Cobb himself, with a sprinkle of the eloquent, gravy-rich trumpet of Blue Mitchell. A few slyly elegant 'n' congenial unaccompanied tracks are for desert, proving that Timmons could turn down the temp & cool-out some standards with the best of them. This banquet will both fill you up AND have you comin' back for seconds.