(Primrose Lane Music)

The fourth release from bassist Luther Hughes and his Cannonball-Coltrane Project, Things Are Getting Better,  is the work of a band at its best. While mining the genius of the greats for which the project was named remains central to this effort, we hear equally as many compositions from members of the veteran West Coast unit. Tenor saxman Glenn Cashman wrote or co-wrote 4 of the tunes and arranged one the standards performed. Alto saxpohonist Bruce Babad penned or 3 tracks and drummer Paul Kriebach also contributed a tune. Pianist Ed Czach rounds out the quartet, which sounds as good as any group of musicians you’ll hear today and well worth checking out.