[8] Philip Booth of Jazz Times noted "Christian McBride, one of two high-profile veteran bassists making debuts as big-band leaders this season (along with Ron Carter), offers 11 of his arrangements, a mix of original compositions and standards.

McBride’s career orchestrating for large ensembles, as he recounts in the liner notes, began a little more than 15 years ago with a commission from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

That piece, “Bluesin’ in Alphabet City,” is here, and it’s a charmer, a bluesy swinger with the trombone section’s melody answered by trumpet and saxophone rejoinders before opening up for solos, including a showcase for the leader’s speedy fingerboard flights and chopping-wood tone.

Bluesy swagger also marks “In a Hurry,” originally heard on McBride's debut album and here building into a ferocious, criss-crossing bone battle between Michael Dease and James Burton.

As the title implies, it's a swaggering, hard-swinging session featuring a cast of New York's best sidemen, winning the GRAMMY Award for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album in 2012.