Saxophonist and flutist Sahib Shihab (1925-1989) is something of a cultish figure in jazz; his work in the early days of bop and hard bop is strong in its own right, but he gained more notoriety as an expatriate in Scandinavia during the '60s and ‘70s. As part of the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, he cut albums with short, funky tracks that were (and are) well suited to the European mod deejay set. From 1968, Seeds is one of the most sought-after of Shihab’s albums and one of his best. On 10 spry tracks, he’s joined by CBBB regulars Boland and Clarke, bassists Jean Warland and Jimmy Woode, and percussionist Fats Sadi. The first half of the date primarily features Shihab’s hard-edged and blowsy baritone. It's an interesting contrast to the vibes- or bongo-based rhythm section, which at first appears more suited to MOR themes. That said, the band is incredibly tight, and “mood music” doesn't describe how economical the rhythm section is. The second half emphasizes Shihab’s flute and favors clean birdsong lines atop light, cracking rhythm fields.