Having this range available between the two lead instruments made for expanded roles for all the instruments in this recording session, with the bass especially being more involved in arrangements than I'm accustomed to hearing in most combos. This is particularly noticeable on the second track, "Centrepiece", where Kelly Sill's bass comes to the forefront for a lead. A lot of the time when the bass or drums play leads, they feel somewhat out of place, as if they've been grafted on as an afterthought. That's not the case in this song, or any of the other songs where you hear it being played, as the way has been prepared for its appearance by the presence of a lead instrument of a similar tonal quality.

So far I've talked mainly about the novelty of the disc, yet what's equally important is the fact that the familiar is done so well. The Jazz played by Cy Touff and Sandy Mosse is the style that the majority of people think of when Jazz is mentioned. While some people dismiss it because it isn't as ornate as John Coletrane's work, as free form as the work of the avant-garde, or as funky as the fusion boys, when performed by players of this quality, it's as exciting as any other form of Jazz.

Sandy Mosse has a wonderful feel for the music that he's playing. So it's remarkably easy to get caught up in the songs. It's the type of thing where you'll be listening, and without realizing it you'll find your foot tapping and your head nodding along to the music. This is the music that gave the saxophone its sexy reputation. There is a sultry elegance to some of Mosse's playing that evokes romantic scenes of late nights listening to music by candle light or cafes on the Left Bank of Paris.

Jazz is many things to many people, but the one thing it never should be is boring or ordinary. In the hands of Cy Touff and Sandy Mosse the music on Tickle Toe is as exciting and vibrant as anybody could want. With the additional attraction of being offered the opportunity to hear an instrument as rarely employed as the bass trumpet, and the wonderful added dimension that it brings to the music, Tickle Toe will be a welcome addition to anybody's music library.