LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Yusef Lateef’s final Prestige/New Jazz session was a reunion of four musicians nurtured in the elevated atmosphere of Detroit’s modern jazz scene. With bassist Herman Wright and drummer Elvin Jones joining the leader for three rambunctious trio tracks, and the eloquent Barry Harris’s piano added on four more, the date displays the harmonic sophistication and rhythmic daring of all parties. A stunning example of Lateef’s skill on flute and oboe as well as tenor sax, yet less exotic than most of his efforts, Into Something is his ultimate hard-bop statement, a classic of both the genre and still-active Lateef’s long career.
Track listing:Rasheed, When You're Smiling, Water Pistol, You've Changed, I'll Remember April, Koko's Tune, P Bouk