A swirling array of tones, colors, and sounds – written and arranged by JJ Johnson, conducted by Gunther Schuller, and with Dizzy at the helm, blowing some of his most complicated solos ever. The approach is firmly in the Verve jazz orchestra tradition – and recalls the earlier brilliance of such projects in the hands of Ralph Burns, done here with a great depth of expression, and none of the coldness that you might expect from Schuller's participation. Clearly, there's a Miles/Gil Evans influence here, but the crew retains their identity strongly – and Dizzy's hot tone on the trumpet provides a broder spectrum than Miles ever could. Titles include "Fantasia", "Ballade", "Jubelo", and "The Sword Of Orion". LP, Vinyl record album

A piano trio set, but one that's unlike anything that Oscar Peterson or Ramsey Lewis might have recorded – as Siegfried Kessler really breaks the whole format down here, working in a very free setting with accompaniment from Gus Nemeth on bass and Stu Martin on drums! The energy here is very much in the post-68 vibe of the French free scene – and the record's got a sound that would have been equally at home as one of the 1969 sessions on BYG/Actuel – especially in the way that Kessler's not content to just play piano, but also handles a bit of flute as well! The whole thing is nicely unbridled – with long tracks that include "Persecution", "Drum", "De L'Orient A Orion", and "Solaire". LP, Vinyl record album