[1] The pianist had previously played with vocalist Gregory Porter at the Smoke jazz club in December 2011, and the idea for the album came out of that and Mabern commenting to the club (and Smoke Sessions Records) proprietor that he would like to record with vocalists.

[1] Mabern plays with bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth on all of the tracks except "Don't Misunderstand", which is a Mabern-Norah Jones duet.

[3] The closing track – "Bobby, Benny, Jymie, Lee, Bu" – is a tribute to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.

"The Man from Hyde Park" refers to Herbie Hancock, with whom Mabern developed a friendship when they were both in Chicago in the 1950s.

"[4] Jazziz concluded that: "Throughout a set that encompasses various voices, moods and styles, Mabern and this stellar band provide consistent excellence.