The music, all originals from bandmembers, ranges from advanced hard bop to hints of the avant-garde, from bluesy material to a pair of duets by Freeman and McBee.

In fact, the similarities are greater than anticipated, a nice blend of straightforward hard bop and some more adventurous material.

"[4] Troy Collins, writing for All About Jazz, noted that, in comparison with the original lineup, the new version of the band "has a more mainstream pedigree.

While the new line-up might lack some of the primal bite of the original, The Leaders soldiers on, still swinging mightily two decades later.

"[5] In an article for Jazz Times, Forrest Dylan Bryant commented: "The band's rapport is evident throughout the set, in its tight ensemble work, in-the-pocket soloing and several well-executed improvisational outros.