One is a 20-year-old Bud Powell making only his third appearance in a recording studio (having recorded two sessions the previous year with Cootie Williams) – according to Mark Gardner, who wrote the liner notes for the Xanadu Records re-release, Socolow and drummer Irv Kluger went to see Powell playing in a club in Greenwich Village and "The pair flipped when they heard Bud's dynamic and totally new style of piano playing, and needed no further convincing".

[2] The second is the capturing of Freddie Webster, whose recorded legacy is very sparse, at the height of his powers, and playing one of his own compositions, "Reverse the Charges", two years before his early death.

Socolow invited Manny Albam, Bill Holman, and Sal Salvador, three band leaders he had worked with many times, to arrange material for a sextet featuring himself, Eddie Bert on trombone, the aforementioned Salvador on guitar, and Eddie Costa on piano.

Socolow switches to alto for two tracks: "Farfel" (named after his nickname for his son), and "I Cried for You".

[3] The 1956 session was released as a 12" LP by Bethlehem Records in 1956,[4] and previously re-issued by Fresh Sound on CD in 1985.