A slew of upstanding side men can make a recording a memorable one. Prior to becoming THE Grant Green, the guitarist enlivened countless slightly funky discs and finally went on to lead his own groups. Much the same, Blue Mitchell developed over time while working in other player’s groups. But on Sam Jones’ first date as a band leader, not just Mitchell, but both Adderlys (Nat and Cannonball), Jimmy Heath and Bobby Timmons support the recording.

Released in 1961 The Soul Society is really an extension of Cannonball’s groups from the late fifties. Most of the talent here at some point made contact with his line ups from a few years back. And in the future, these players would again convene in various configurations as it carried one of the more traditional, albeit occasionally exciting, visions of bop to the following generation.

On this date, comprised of mostly originals even as the majority are not from the session leader, the band comes off sounding like a well rehearsed and familiar family. There’s nothing on The Soul Society that might be mistaken for fireworks, but the relatively staid approach to hard bop should be appreciated by anyone that’s a fan of Art Blakey and his cohort – or anything from the latter portion of the fifties.

Again, at the time that The Soul Society was put together, there was a whole new thing brewing in New York and Los Angeles that would wind up displacing this type of music. And while Jones and company shouldn’t be seen as turning in the final statement of tasteful bop, things are clearly coming to an end.

Perhaps the most engaging effort from the 1961 disc is Nat Adderly’s schizoid “The Old Country.” After beginning with a rather aggressive introductory passage, the work dances into something suited for dinner and dancing with the Gatsbys. That’s obviously not the intention, but even as Jones goes in on his bass solo, it’s clear that not just his track, but the entirety of the album isn’t going to be able to hold a listener’s attention for its duration.

Swinging as hard as it can, the band gets into “Deep Blue Cello” with a quick tempo even as the Sam Jones original doesn’t sport any sort of enticing or overwhelming melodic figure. The fact that the song’s bounce is memorable, though, says a lot about Jones’ ability to put together a composition regardless of whether or not it winds up being a classic.

All of this probably makes The Soul Society seem a bit more of an anachronism then it actually is. And while every player that makes a showing on this date is powerful in his own right, this disc being released so late in bop’s life span relegated it to its second tier status. The disc is just for enthusiasts or folks who really (for whatever reason) can not get enough bop. There’s a market out there, but The Soul Society won’t see a tremendous cult grow up around it.