Mintzer is a long-time associate of the WDR band. However, the Mack Avenue releases have emphasised the Jackets' small group and acoustic empathy, with Mintzer's rich tones to the fore. But as the name suggests, Jackets XL is a bigger beast. Big band arrangements leave little room for ‘freelancing’ as Ferrante's notes attest. True, there's nearly 70 minutes of music here, mostly new Mintzer-arranged treatments of classic songs, but the intimate feel of previous recordings like A Rise In the Road isn't here; there's considerably less of Mintzer the instrumentalist, with Ferrante revelling in the lion's share of space. What you do get is classic high energy precision from the WDR, evident on the typewriter- tight ‘Downtown’.

By contrast ‘Coherence’ has an orchestrated, Maria Schneider-like feel. Ferrante's iron wrists lock down the perpetual motion crunch of ‘Imperial Strut’, while ‘Revelation’, an old time band encore aptly wraps up the party in a more Gospel-styled arrangement.

All splendid stuff, and all awesomely played and produced, of course, but lacking the soul spice inherent to the ‘Jackets’ small group outings.