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One of the only American releases from Eastern European jazzman Karel Valebny – the force behind some great albums on MPS and other overseas labels, sounding equally great here on a late 60s set for ESP! The music is as bizarre as the cover – modern jazz overall, but done with a great deal of sensitivity – a very poetic approach to the performance that's quite different than the usual ESP bag, and which really shows some of the best steps forward the European scene was taking at the time. There's echoes here of mid 60s "new thing" jazz – especially in the way Velebny's vibes come into play – and instrumentation on the record include vibes, tenor, and bass clarinet from Karel, plus alto and flute from Jiri Stivin, piano from Ludek Svabensky, bass from Karel Vejvoda, and drums from Josef Vejvoda. Titles include "The Uhu Sleeps Only During The Day", "Andulko Safarova", "Beetles On The Head", and "Joachim Is Our Friend".

A really cool set that showcases some of the best talents in the Czech jazz scene at the start of the 60s – a set that features a different soloist on every track – although core backings that link the whole thing together nicely, even as each number allows a strong sense of musical individuality! Most Czech players didn't get the same kind of exposure as other Eastern European jazz musicians – especially not at this early stage – so the set is a really wonderful representation of this near-lost scene, one that has some surprisingly modern touches – more than enough to link it to the best Polish jazz of the time! The set features work by Karel Velebny on vibes, Karel Krautgartner and Frantisek Navaratil on alto sax, Antonin Julina on guitar, Milan Ulirch on tenor, Jaromir Hnilicka on trumpet, and Artur Hollitzer on trombone – and titles include "One Window", "Two Marmots", "Lento", "Suite For Trumpet", "At The Fair Of Lisen", "You", and "Good People Haven't Died Out Yet".