Nearly 14 years after he retired from music, trumpeter
Lu Watters came out of retirement to musically protest the proposed building of a nuclear power plant on the San Andreas Fault. In addition to a few concerts with his former trombonist
Turk Murphy,
Watters recorded this lone Fantasy LP. After the nuclear project was shelved,
Watters went back into permanent retirement. Surprisingly he is heard in prime form throughout this excellent set, leading a septet that also includes trombonist
Bob Mielke, clarinetist
Bob Helm, and pianist
Wally Rose through such numbers as "Some of These Days," "Emperor Norton's Hunch," and his new pieces "San Andreas Fault" and "Blues Over Bodega." Blues singer
Barbara Dane helps out a couple of songs. ~ Scott Yanow