LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Although the great Charlie Parker and John Coltrane were among saxophonist Bunky Green's strongest early influences, he soon went on to develop his own personal style that made him one of the most promising artists of the 1970s. Green broke out of the jazz mold and began incorporating numerous genres, including rock, eastern music, classical, gospel and blues, into his playing. After several years as a sideman for Mingus, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef, Cannonball Adderly and Roland Kirk, to name a few, Green stopped playing conventional jazz and began studying new expressive techniques (it often seems that he uses his saxophone to imitate the human voice); these musical innovations are brought together on this amazing 1977 Vanguard release, finally available again on Comet/Universe. Green also plays on two other Vanguard albums, the super group "Summit Meeting" and "Time Capsule" by Elvin Jones.