Modernity is a word that can be debated by the hour, especially in the field of jazz, but the modernity of Bob Brookmeyer has always embraced a firm respect for the past on which it is founded. And the ability to give it a contemporary context and expression. Throughout his long career, even as he grew into perhaps the finest living jazz composer and orchestrator, he has retained that gift as a writer and performer. And, as these delightful 1954 quartet sessions featuring his valve trombone show, he had the perception and the skill to express it from early on, turning each performance into a memorably personal adventure. His playing on these dates with pianists Jimmy Rowles and John Williams reveals the particular combination of heart and soul, of imagination and intellect, that has made him such an impressive figure in jazz.