This freewheeling 1957 session features three of the finest tenor saxophonists of the hard-bop genre--Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, and John Coltrane. While tenor battles have been a feature of jazz since the '30s, the three here are so distinctive in their approaches that it's musicality that reigns and even the new listener will soon identify the three saxophonists' sounds. Griffin has been billed as the world's fastest saxophonist, a hard claim to verify, but few would argue with his aplomb as he tears off electrifying solos, negotiating quicksilver arpeggios with a gruff sound and the blues-tinged wail that he had mastered in Joe Morris's rhythm & blues band. Mobley's approach was more subdued, producing inventive streams of melody even in these heated circumstances, while Coltrane was already the most adventurous of the three, pressing the changes for new harmonic extensions. Bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Blakey are both supportive and forceful, while trumpeter Lee Morgan and pianist Wynton Kelly add some variety to the dominant tenor voices. --Stuart Broomer