As prepared to kick off a gig at New York's club the night of Tuesday September 11, 2001, some murderous terrorists had some other plans for that morning a bit further south. The gig thus didn't begin until that Friday, and the wheels in 's mind kept on rolling through the aftermath, resulting in this double-CD album. Going his own way, he drew from public-domain , songs, protest songs, and and mixed them with his own compositions and , assembling and reining in top-notch musicians like pianist , guitarist , bassists and , and drummer . The result is one of the most unusual and deeply spiritual recordings in 's always-unusual career, one that says more with fewer means. The leadoff track itself is an ear-opener, 's which opens the gates with an Indian flavor, with its arco bass drone on a single chord and sitar-like articulation from . It's a miraculously subtle yet compelling way to grab your attention, like the introduction to a , thoughtfully sustained over 15 minutes. Somehow, the rest of the 130-minute album manages to maintain and develop the rapt atmosphere, reaching its central pivot of emotion three tracks into the second disc with the quartet-like treatment of As is often the case in a performance, the tenor saxophonist is tempted to go to the outside, but usually in a gentle way, his head now in a thoughtful fog. stays largely with the tune except toward the close, matching the haunted, dazed mood of the original. is appropriately represented by ; 's own finds him on flute. Even the over-exposed staple of every other or revival, sounds fresh, devout, and genuine. Each disc concludes with something meaningful: mourns alone and soulfully on at disc one's close and one more lengthy , followed by an up-tempo release, ends disc two. Let responses like this from the world be the real legacy of the aftermath of 9/11. ~ Richard S. Ginell