Harper has been known since the late 1960's for his hard-edged, hard charging tenor and his spiritually-tinged compositions. This is a fine, energetic set, recorded live. The pieces are long, but never boring and always accessible. This is a good album to start with Harper, especially since his first and best, "Capra/Black," is very hard to come by on CD.
This is music that should appeal to those that love John Coltrane's Love Supreme or Eric Dolphy's Live at the Five Sport. It is adventurous, emotional, thoughtful and inventive. But it is not too far out, either, grounded in model and tonal concepts. The first two tracks are masterpieces and must have performances.
So good they had to name a record label after it, Harper's first album under his own name is a powerhouse by a fully-formed talent with a unique sound as big as Harper's native Texas. The songs are lengthy, complex,and challenging, but you'll be humming them, I guarantee. The rest of the band is great, with Joe Bonner reminding us why he was an unsung hero in the seventies, but it's Harper's show all the way. A masterpiece for the cost of all of three downloads.
