was 's first recording session with tenor saxophonist , who became one of his major collaborators (and a quintet co-leader) during the late '60s. 's rounded, echoing tone is a nice contrast for the coolly cerebral that fills . contributes four of the five compositions (the other, is by pianist ), and he's in a mood to intellectually challenge himself and the rest of the quintet, which also includes bassist and longtime drummer . The results are full of the sort of skillful musicianship one would naturally expect of 's '60s-era 's solo lines are fluid and lengthy, assimilating some of 's innovations while remaining accessibly soulful. Though they're all pretty strong, is the most ambitious piece; it opens with a happy-go-lucky, -time flute melody, and after a bit of foreboding, expands upon it with a tinkling bell solo. Toward the end of the piece, the whole group builds to a chaotic eruption, with switching to marimba (as he often did when he wanted a darker tone and high-tempo articulation); the pretty flute theme is then repeated as the dust settles and the piece ends. Overall, though, the album foreshadows 's move away from his explicit leanings and into a still-advanced but more structured modernist framework. For some reason, was the only -styled album and recorded together that was released at the time; though they're all high-quality, this remains perhaps the best of the lot. ~ Steve Huey