by Scott YanowBassist Ben Allison and members of the Jazz Composers Collective (who are best known for the Herbie Nichols Project) on this set perform eight of the bassist's originals. The music is post-bop and sometimes leaning a little toward sound explorations. However, there are also plenty of swinging moments to be heard along the way, for these are well-rounded and versatile musicians. In addition to Allison, the septet has Michael Blake and Ted Nash on reeds, trumpeter Ron Horton, pianist Frank Kimbrough, cellist Tomas Ulrich, and drummer Jeff Ballard. The adventurous music should be heard several times in order to be fully appreciated; it is worth the effort.