by Ken DrydenHarold Mabern was nearing his 57th birthday around the time of the two 1993 studio sessions that provided the music for this Japanese release; he's clearly in a mood to celebrate, as the CD begins with a driving hard bop original, Look on the Bright Side, powered by his aggressive risk-taking playing and fueled by a lower key solo by young bassist Christian McBride and a series of powerful drum breaks by seasoned veteran Jack DeJohnette. Although Mabern's arrangement of John Coltrane's Moment's Notice is enjoyable, it is because the rhythm simulates a jaunty stroll while the leader unleashes some pyrotechnics. Likewise, Charlie Parker's Au Privave is never rushed, but executed with finesse. The musicians have fun disguising the introduction to Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, a piece that can turn saccharine in the wrong hands, but their lively interplay in a brisk setting makes it work. It's a Lonesome Old Town, a piece long forgotten by most players, has a thunderous introduction, but Mabern reverts to its melancholy nature in the subdued body of the piece, though he can't resist tossing in a little of his lightening runs and heavy tremolos. He also plays two originals, including his gospel-flavored Too Late Fall Back Baby and the strutting Big Time Cooper, named for a diminutive (five-foot four-inches) pianist Mabern admired years earlier in Chicago. Highly recommended for hard bop fans.