This LP from the English Affinity LP is a mixed bag. Best is "Rain Forrest" on which tenor saxophonist
Archie Shepp, in a collaboration with trombonist
Grachan Moncur III, pianist
Vince Benedetti, bassist
Malachi Favors, and drummer
Philly Joe Jones, perform some stirring free jazz; the interplay between
Shepp and
Jones is particularly exciting. On a four-and-a-half minute "Oleo,"
Shepp "battles" some bebop with fellow tenor
Hank Mobley, but the other two tracks, a workout for the leader's erratic soprano on "Mamarose," and his emotional recitation on "Poem for Malcolm," are much less interesting, making this a less than essential release despite "Rain Forrest."