Jeff Hittman / Yoshitaka Uematsu / Valerie Ponomarev
Mosaic
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

1988 Italian Original Housed In A Laminated Jacket And Featuring Larry Willis, Dennis Irwin, Yoshitaka Uematsu And Others. Glossy, Unplayed Condition. “This Is A Casual But Enjoyable Hard Bop Session Featuring Two Relative Unknowns (Tenor Saxophonist Jeff Hittman And Drummer Yoshitaka Uematsu, Who Is The Co-Leader) And Three More Familiar Names (Trumpeter Valerie Ponomarev, Pianist Larry Willis And Bassist Dennis Irwin). Hittman's Straightforward Tenor Is A Cross Between His Idol Sonny Rollins, Early John Coltrane (Especially During "On Luck"), And A Touch Of Hank Mobley. It Is Nice To Hear Ponomarev In This Freewheeling Setting; The Vastly Underrated Larry Willis Is In His Usual Sparkling Form, And Irwin And Uematsu Are Fine In Support. A Couple Of Hittman Originals, A Bossa Nova By Steve Grossman, Hank Mobley's "The Opener," And Two Versions Of A Medium-Tempo Cedar Walton Blues Comprise This Date.” Scott Yanow, AMG.