This album, from a May 1987 concert at the seventh Amiens International Jazz Festival by a group led by tenor saxophonist Michel Portal – one of the leading exhibits on the French Jazz Scene – has a jam session looseness within a sense of musical direction. The liner photos suggest this group must have toured Europe around this time, and while everyone has their season in the sun, the long rodomontade of solos tend to sag a bit in the middle. DeJohnette tries to keep everyone on message, meditating the ebb and flow of proceedings from the drums, while it says a lot of Portal that he thrives in the company of these ‘name’ American musicians. Opening with DeJohnette's ‘Ahmad the Terrible’, which the composer recorded to definitive effect on his Special Edition's Album Album from 1984, Portal uses the same arrangement albeit at a slightly slower tempo. The ensemble is well led by Liebman's soprano, but the energy of the earlier Special Edition version is missing.

Portal's feature on bass clarinet shows him to especially good effect on ‘Men's Land’ (oh my, what a politically incorrect title!), but ‘Pastor’, featuring Jenny Clark on bass is a bit of a dose.

However, all is forgiven on ‘Easy’ Nuff’ with Leibman's full-on solo work climaxing this interesting concert.