This is the third installment of Minton's solo series, each coming roughly ten years apart. I found this CD quite enjoyable on a number of levels: the recording (by Veryan Weston) is close-up, letting us hear all the nuances of the performances; and all of these improvisations are short, the longest being almost 3:00.

Minton works his vocal chords in a variety of ways, sometimes returning to earlier ideas to expand them, as when he seems to be muttering in some invented language (shades of Ron Geesin). Each time he does though, he pushes the idea a bit farther, or bends it into a new shape. At times his sense of humor comes to the fore, and at other times he seems to be caught up in listening to the sound, which is what it's all about really.

The first time I tried to listen to No Doughnuts In Hand I was interrupted by my neighbor's rock band rehearsal, and while Minton's vocals actually enhanced the poorly played cover tunes, i decided they deserved a hearing of their own. I'm glad I waited.