At 23 minutes long, this is, I believe, the longest track ever posted on Audiofile -- but don't worry, there's nothing grueling about it. Marion Brown is a sadly underappreciated alto saxophonist and should-have-been-major figure of the '60s jazz avant-garde, and this is the first track from his 1965 debut as a leader, recently reissued by ESP. Over a relaxed, Caribbean-flavored groove, provided by bassists Ronnie Boykins and Reggie Johnson and drummer Rashied Ali, Brown unfurls a flowing, elegant solo, clearly influenced by John Coltrane (on whose "Ascension" he played), but with a balmy, gentle fluidity all his own.
-- T.B.
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