Ries is best known for his decades on sax and keys for the Stones from which two impressive recordings came, The Rolling Stones Project and the epic Stones World. However, his apprenticeship with the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Maria Schneider, Phil Woods and co. also reveal a sax man with deep jazz roots. So, how this fine album came to fester in the vaults remains a mystery. There is a tale of loss - Ries' mother died soon after the recording, and family -Ries is the son of musicians and the father of musicians, including Jasia whose youthful vigour bring a freshness to this recording - means much to the man. But it remains a shame that Life Changes has been missing in action for so long. DeJohnette has a ball throughout, notably on ‘Monk's Dream’, all sparky japes as he raps around the theme Frisell, likewise, is as lyrical as you'll hear him, helped by Goldings ever urging Hammond. The songs veer between coherent group improvisations like the title-track, to more constructed themes such as ‘For Elis’, which reflects the Brazilian vibe that so informs Ries' music. Such sophisticated jaunts are balanced by the ballad ‘Bella's Lullaby’, with its echoes of ‘Nature Boy’, all of which attest to Ries' sure ear and the respect he wins from his collaborators.