Live At The Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (1989)

"Born out of Mingus' last band, the Adams/Pullen Quartet took off from its onetime leader's eclectic and fervent musical approach to form its own provocative and fertile take on hard bop and the avant-garde. In addition to Pullen (p) and Adams (ts), the band another Mingus alum: Dannie Richmond (d). Having already cut a clutch of fine discs since 1979, the quartet showed the power of its live concerts with this second volume of recordings from the Village Vanguard. Taped in 1983, the four cuts show off the group's varied repertoire of post-bop material. The mix is mostly up-tempo, with Pullen's gospel and R&B-inspired "Saturday Night in the Cosmos" and "Big Alice" bookending one of his more knotty swingers, "The Great Escape," and Adam's fleet and Latin-tinged bopper, "City Gates." Everyone contributes fine solo work, while also keeping everything nice and in the pocket. A highlight from the Pullen-Adams catalog and one of the most impressive of contemporary live jazz dates." (Stephen Cook, Allmusic)

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