On Claude Bolling and Friends, the master of big band leads a small group performing classic jazz in the chamber music vein. The brilliant writing and talented musicians combine to reveal a pared down approach to the music they have been playing with excellence for over twenty-five years. Claude Bolling shows himself here to be a pianist much younger than his years would suggest, and the loving, sophisticated generosity in his playing makes this album a testament to his work as an ambassador for the vivacity that still exists in classic jazz.