As I mentioned a few months ago, I'm not a big fan of reading album reviews, nor do I wish to write any reviews myself. I broke my no-review policy for Melvin Jones' debut CD "Pivot," but I did so reluctantly. And frankly, I still haven't quite forgiven Melvin Jones and Mace Hibbard for playing so well on that album. On Melvin's next album, I'm hoping for a tune called "Cracked Notes," and it better be filled with them!

Anyway, here I am again, faced with another dilemma because Mace Hibbard and Melvin Jones recently joined forces on another tour de force (...must fight the urge to use reviewer lingo). This time the album features Atlanta-based saxophonist, Mace Hibbard, as the leader and trumpeter, Melvin Jones, riding shotgun (hey, I made up some new reviewer lingo), along with Louis Heriveaux on piano, Marc Miller on bass, and Justin Varnes on drums.

"Time Gone By" is Mace Hibbard's second album as a leader, and the followup to his debut album, "When We Last Met," which is also definitely worth checking out. And like Melvin Jones' "Pivot" album, "Time Gone By" is another great jazz recording that I can't help but recommend.

Rather than go track by track, describing each tune, I thought I'd share some videos that I've taken over the past couple of years that feature some of the tunes that you'll hear on "Time Gone By." These are from various performances and lineups so you'll definitely hear a more polished version of things on the actual album, which you can conveniently purchase at iTunes and CD Baby.

The curiously titled, "Rude On Purpose," by Mace Hibbard:

"Hallowed Ground," by Mace Hibbard:

"Remembrances of Things Past," music by Mace Hibbard, lyrics by Marcel Proust:

BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT...

If you'd like to read some real reviews, by people who do this stuff for a living, visit Jazz Times or All About Jazz. But they'll pretty much tell you the album is great, only with a lot more words. Do yourself a favor, skip the reviews and head on over to iTunes or CD Baby to get a copy of the album for yourself!