LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Since this was the very first time Riverside had been involved in anything as complex as eleven men and fully worked-out arrangements, and some of the musicians we had called were not all that experienced in that area, some of the ensemble passages are less than totally smooth. "Wade in the Water" was only the second number attempted, and the previously-unissued performance now added to the album was its first complete take and is admittedly on the ragged side. But it does provide a striking example of how strongly Johnny Griffin was playing and how imaginative were his improvisations over the full band background.
Track listing: Wade in the Water, Panic Room Blues, Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, Meditation, Holla, So Tired, Deep River, Jubilation, plus CD bonus track Wade in the Water (alternate)