I have to confess that my knowledge of American altoist ‘Bishop’ Norman Williams is extremely sketchy; information on him appears to be somewhat thin on the ground, so perhaps I'm not alone. This is what we do know, however. Born in Kansas City in 1938, his recorded output is rather sparse, but over the years he played live with many of the greats: Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Roach, Stitt and Sanders; he became a fixture on the San Francisco scene in the 1960s and 70s; and his playing was lauded by the likes of John Handy and Eddie Henderson. His death in 2010 prompted both personal affection and tributes to his musicianship from the cognoscenti; listening to this 1976 disc (the first album ever released on Allen Pitman's famed Theresa Records) one can understand why.

On first approach, some comparisons with the 1970s output of the Gary Bartz NTU Troop are inevitable, especially on Side One; but the Bishop is very much his own man. His playing is full of warmth and spirit, and he wears his eclectic tastes and learning lightly. Two lengthy numbers on the second side – ‘Ole' Brown’ and ‘Mr Peabody’ are reminiscent of the slow-shifting densities of Miles' On The Corner, while Williams' original ‘Trane's Paradise’ is a sensitive and beautifully-paced tribute to the great hornsman.

Kudos due too, for the contributions of flugelhornist Pittman, who matches the leader's contributions blow for blow; and for Arslanian, who composed four of the seven tunes here, and whose playing is spot-on throughout.

As always, Pure Pleasure has done a great job with this reissue, authentic packaging and super-quiet vinyl complementing mastering engineer Ray Staff's warm yet crystal-clear sound. One hopes that the label will reissue the Bishop's other two collectable 1970s Theresa releases, Bishop's Bag and One For Bird soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this mid-70s classic. Here endeth the sermon.