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Total Eclipse
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Barnes and Noble
Total Eclipse
Current price: $22.99
Barnes and Noble
Total Eclipse
Current price: $22.99
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Size: CD
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was
's first recording session with tenor saxophonist
, who became one of his major collaborators (and a quintet co-leader) during the late '60s.
's rounded, echoing tone is a nice contrast for the coolly cerebral
that fills
.
contributes four of the five compositions (the other,
is by pianist
), and he's in a mood to intellectually challenge himself and the rest of the quintet, which also includes bassist
and longtime drummer
. The results are full of the sort of skillful musicianship one would naturally expect of
's '60s-era
's solo lines are fluid and lengthy, assimilating some of
's innovations while remaining accessibly soulful. Though they're all pretty strong,
is the most ambitious piece; it opens with a happy-go-lucky,
-time flute melody, and after a bit of foreboding,
expands upon it with a tinkling bell solo. Toward the end of the piece, the whole group builds to a chaotic eruption, with
switching to marimba (as he often did when he wanted a darker tone and high-tempo articulation); the pretty flute theme is then repeated as the dust settles and the piece ends. Overall, though, the album foreshadows
's move away from his explicit
leanings and into a still-advanced but more structured modernist framework. For some reason,
was the only
-styled album
and
recorded together that was released at the time; though they're all high-quality, this remains perhaps the best of the lot. ~ Steve Huey