George Russell, formulator of the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, was one of the leading avant garde jazz composers from the late '40s through the mid '60s. This recording, cut in 1961, still sounds colorful , fresh and advanced — his compositions, with their swiftly shifting colors, had not yet been absorbed by the mainstream.

Russell assembled an impressive sextet, including the great young trumpeter Don Ellis, who somehow never got his due, technically extraordinary trombonist David Baker and a couple of acknolwedged greats: Eric Dolphy, on alto sax and bass clarinet here, and bassist Steve Swallow. Ellis' improvisation is constantly provocative, Dolphy plays with great inspiration but is somewhat repetitive, Baker plays faster than you think a trombonist could, and Russell plays a nice piano solo on "Lydiot." Russell's work hasn't been given much attention for a long time; check him out, he's truly a unique composer.