The graphics are kind of dull on this late-period Blue Note LP, but the music is anything but boring.
Elvin Jones' band had expanded during 1969-1971 from a pianoless trio to a three-horn quintet. With
Dave Liebman and the returning
Joe Farrell on tenor and soprano and
Frank Foster contributing some tenor, alto flute, and bass clarinet (bassist
Gene Perla completes the group), it would not be an overstatement to call this a powerful unit. On five originals by bandmembers (best known is
Jones' "Three Card Molly"), the musicians take long, heated solos that straddle the boundary between hard bop and the avant-garde. Their album has plenty of invigorating music. ~ Scott Yanow