One of the great keepers of the Mingus flame, drummer Dannie Richmond was a sterling presence in acoustic jazz up until his death in 1988.

This quintet session, recorded just five years before in Milan, shows that he had become a mighty bandleader in his own right as he puts an ensemble of younger players through their paces with the same kind of fiery intensity that had brilliantly served Mingus. One of the notable new arrivals of the decade, tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford holds the frontline well alongside another Mingus alumnus Jack Walrath, while the more obscure figure of Bob Neloms is effective in the piano chair. With three originals by Richmond and bandmembers and reprises of Mingus anthems ‘Three Or Four Shades Of Blues’ and ‘Peggy's Blue Skylight’, this is music that swings hard and loosens up, blurring the line between bebop and avant-garde, as the master could do so well.