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One of the most spiritual albums to come from the young AACM movement in Chicago – a session that's somewhat equal in expression to some of the best post-Coltrane work on Impulse Records! Maurice McIntyre plays here with a sound that's already fully formed – an approach to the tenor that's as searingly human as that of Pharoah Sanders or Albert Ayler – but which is also played with a sharpness at times that recalls a young Marion Brown. The rest of the group is equally well-matched – a tremendous array of talent from the Chicago scene, with Malachi Favors on bass, Thurman Barker and Ajaramu on drums, Leo Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, John Stubblefield on soprano sax, and Amina Claudine Myers on piano. George Hines vocalizes a bit on a few tracks – singing in a spiritual tone that's somewhat like Leon Thomas, but much freer and more abstract – and the album beautifully balances shorter musical statements with a fuller suite on side two – showing the deeper, more ambitious expressions that were starting to well up in the AACM. Titles include the tremendous "Humility In The Light Of Creator", plus "Hexagon", "Kcab Emoh", "Pluto Calling", "Life Force", and "Suite – Ensemble Fate". CD also features a bonus version of the title track!

A cooking little album from guitarist George Freeman – his first album as a leader, recorded during a brief initial period of fame at the start of the 70s! The album's got a stripped-down, very groovy feel – one that takes off from some of Freeman's 60s work with Groove Holmes – but which puts George center stage, and allows for plenty of examples of his amazing tone and phrasing on the guitar! The core group is a trio – with Sonny Burke on organ and Billy Mitchell on drums – and Freeman's more famous brother Von joins in on tenor sax on a good portion of the tracks – playing in a soul jazz mode that's arguably better than that used on his Atlantic debut, recorded right around the same time. One more track features an even more unusual lineup – with Lester Lashley on trombone, Robert Pierce on organ, and Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre on tenor, making one of his few appearances on record of this type! But the real star of the set throughout is George Freeman – playing the electric guitar with a quality that's unlike anyone else we can think of – a nitty, gritty tone that's almost a direct heir of T-Bone Walker, but a lot jazzier overall! Titles include the great funky number "Must Be Must Be", plus "Hoss", "Cough it Up", "Mama Papa Brother", "Birth Sign", "My Ship", and "My Scenery".

One of the strongest recorded performances we've heard to date from saxophonist David Boykin – a leading light in the current underground scene of Chicago, and a player who recalls the promise of the early days of the AACM, particularly the spiritualist work of Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre. Boykin plays tenor here – with an exploratory tone that's deeply soulful, in the mode of some of David Murray's more spiritual work from the late 70s/early 80s, layered over percussive backings by Bakari Davis. The spareness of the set reminds us slightly of some of the great recordings made by Murray and Kahil El'Zabar – with a freeness that's still quite rhythmic, always searching within its own boundaries of expression. Titles include "Despair", "Ananas", "Ajaramutations", and "Black Magic".