1972's Attica Blues is arguably the saxophonist's chef d'oeuvre. It is the moment where his voice of protest (against the brutalization of black inmates at the infamous 1971 Attica prison riot), coalesced compellingly with his natural blues, funk and jazz sensibilities. Capturing something of that spirit, this is an orchestral work where an extended, ‘heavy’ palette of brass (four trumpets and four trombones), and reeds serves the saxophonist well. The all-star ensemble has a strong horn section supplemented by the superlative voices of Cécile McLorin Salvant and the enduring Amina Claudine Myers, with Shepp also handling vocal duties, and sounding gutsier than ever. With some 27 pieces under his command, Shepp has a lush, lustrous canvas and although ‘Attica Blues’ retains the raucous, gospel edge of the original most of the material reflects another key facet of the leader's personality: romanticism. Ellington's ‘Come Sunday’ sets the tone for this very vividly and compositions by Shepp and Cal Massey (the anthemic ‘The Cry Of My People’) are soaked in a bittersweet sensuality. Shepp takes a back seat with regard to soloing and it's really the vocal-big band combination that is to the fore, almost as if he were intent on channeling and recasting the spirit of Duke and Mahalia Jackson in a wider idiomatic context. The bulk of the arrangements have ample light and shade, while special mention must be made of the eloquent, occasionally fraught string scores by R Franceshini and JC Andre. Interestingly, Shepp uses a classic chart by Ernie Wilkins on ‘Come Sunday’, making the point that old and new voices remain interdependent in the jazz canon.