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One of the only albums we've ever seen from drummer James Zitro – a player who'd worked as a percussionist for one of the Sonny Simmons' albums on ESP Records, then was invited to cut his own date for the label! There's a really groundbreaking sound here – an approach to percussion that's almost melodic at times, and which prefaces some of the more famous experiments in those modes to come both from the Chicago AACM and the New York loft jazz scene of the 70s. Zitro's really got a way around the kit, leaping around with a style that reminds us of Andrew Cyrille at his best – yet in ways that often go in other directions. The rest of the group here is relatively obscure too – and players include Allan Praskin on alto, Bert Wilson on tenor, Warren Gale on trumpet, Michael Cohen on piano, and Bruce Cale on bass. Titles include "Freeken", "Happy Pretty", and "Sweet".

With Dennis Gonzalez on trumpets, both acoustic and electric – plus Prince Lasha on reeds, Ed Smith on vibes, and James Zitro on drums and percussion!

Very cool stuff – and a fittingly cool collection of work from the great ESP label! If you've never seen one of their samplers before, they're sort of a mad mix of many different styles – putting together tracks in short little blips, filtered out of longer original ones on albums, into a cool collage of sounds and moods. This album features a number of great bits from records we've never seen, mixed together with some more classic moments, all packaged in a cool cover. Includes bits from "East Village Other" by Ishamael Reed, "The Lovebook Record" by Andrei Vozenensky, "Movement Soul" from a record of traditional recordings, "Ni Kantu En Esperanto" from an Esperanto recording, "The Coach With Six Insides" from a musical based on Finnegan's Wake, "Assemblage" by Gunter Hampel, "East Village Other" by Allen Ginsberg, "Call Me Burroughs" by William S Burroughs, "Zitro" by James Zitro, "Of Love & War" by Randy Burns, and lots more by some of the usual suspects.