Riley, free jazz and aficionados of the Brit jazz breakthrough will all be appreciative of this release of the man’s recording debut. It captures Riley and the Brit scene on the cusp of finding a new voice and this is reflected in that the CD is half covers, half Riley originals, the latter pushing toward the free voice Riley would soon energetically explore. Whether we really need the extra tracks of a teenage Riley precociously whizzing through standards is more questionable. The sound on the extra cuts ain’t good and the mix on the 1967 recording is curious. Although it positions Hiseman way up front, this is a dubious virtue as he doesn’t have the elasticity or vision later drummers like Alan Jackson would offer Riley. Guy, however, is outstanding, if his style is still emerging rather than fully formed. It’s also intriguing to hear how Bill Evans underwrites much of early Riley.