One of the great mid ‘60s albums, originally released on ESP in much edited form. This version, includes much material (almost twice as much) and is amazingly well mastered: clear, strong and with great separation; it sounds like a good studio recoding but isn’t. The playing (and the thinking) is impeccable throughout, and turns on a hair as the band slips from one world into another threaded together with impressive solos that never lose their way, or outstay their welcome. It’s an 11-piece Arkestra, with Gilmore, Allen, Patrick, Cummings, Nance, Jackson, Hassan, Boykins and the great  - and unusually well recorded - Clifford Jarvis at the drums. In amongst great variations on familiar Ra compositions is an unusual extended oboe solo (uncredited) by Marshall Allen (Exotic Forest). Ra also plays clavioline as well as piano (also uncredited). And there’s a second kit drummer (ditto) - I have to say the sleeve information is unforgivably lazy, but that doesn’t affect the recording; certainly the definitive version of this release to date and hard to imagine how it could be improved upon.