This mix of circa-1970 jazz makes for a fine alternative to all those demographically minded "Coma Jazz" discs of recent memory: Instead of the usual smoky saxes and airy hard bop ballads, Atlantic has seen fit to tap the rich vein of
Bill Evans and
Miles Davis-spawned riches by
Chick Corea,
Keith Jarrett,
Gary Burton, and
Charles Lloyd – to be a bit harsh, one might call it hippie jazz with
Weather Report and the perennially stark ECM label in sight. More specifically, the cuts are spare and meditative, but with enough in the way of early fusion experimentalism to make for some provocative listening. After that Bergman movie marathon, dim the lights, pour yourself a somber elixir, and spin this levitation soundtrack. ~ Stephen Cook