Berkman calls this album, "...a collaboration between the club and the band." While they weren't handing out kazoos at the door the night of the show, it's obvious that the venue contributed quite a bit to this recording. The band seems very comfortable and alive, playing a silky but energetic form of be-bop that feeds off of crowd energy. Whether trading fours with drummer Ted Poor on "Along Came Betty," or letting loose a crowd pleasing blues inflected solo on "The Mayor of Smoke" together with tenor saxman Jimmy Greene, Berkman makes it his aim to interact with the audience on this disk.
Although there are some undesirable bits of interaction, such as the noise of clanging silverware being thrashed by the club's staff during one of Poor's drum solos, the recording quality is, for the most part, excellent. All in all, the quartet put forth a fine effort here, using a contemporary be-bop framework to deliver a very inspired performance.
