Cincinnati-based guitarist Greg Chako spent many years in Asia, living and performing in various countries including Japan, China and Singapore. He produced several albums during his time abroad, assembling a discography that has not been readily available to American jazz fans. Sudden Impact, originally released in 1996, is the first of several re-releases on the Mint 400 Records label designed to expose Chako's music to a wider audience. Staying within the straight-ahead tradition, the album presents seven re-imagined versions of familiar standards plus four striking originals in a trio-based format.

Having secured a six-night a week gig in Singapore's upmarket Raffles Hotel in 1995 with his working trio of Singaporean drummer Tama Goh and Filipino-Singaporean bassist Billy Martinez, Chako went on to add guest musicians and this led to a studio recording with an augmented band the following year. The music begins with his self-penned title track and features