Formative chapters in a career that spanned well over one hundred albums as both leader and valued sideman. It has been said that Lateef was one of the architects of ‘world music’ before it was defined as a genre. Initially, a tough credible hard bop tenor man (believed to have had some early influence on Coltrane) such was his inquisitive adventurous spirit that he soon expanded his arsenal of instruments along with his musical points of reference. These focused on Middle Eastern modes, which, at the time, were viewed as something of a novelty and briefly attracted the attention of Roland Kirk fans. That's where any similarities ended. With a somewhat subdued Curtis Fuller and pianist Hugh Lawson present on half of these mainly Lateef composed tracks, they ranged from the above mentioned hard bop and exotica (the blues being blown convincingly on an oboe) by way of ballads (‘Can't Help Lovin’ That Man’), cu-bop and the impression of a section of society being called to prayer! But ultimately it's Lateef's passionate tenor work, which proves to be the most attentiongrabbing clincher.