As far as openings to a concert go, the five-minute solo by Ware is a statement of the grandest intent. Performing on the Beuscher straight alto sax (or stritch), rather than tenor, the late saxophone colossus is in absolutely imperious mood, pushing the sound palette of the instrument as far as it will go, producing a bewitchingly nasal, almost piccolo-like effect at times on this 2CD document of an evening at the Blue Note. The sustained momentum, sharply handled time and swirl and slash of the phrasing are gripping. Parker and Smith are able partners insofar as they match the leader for intensity while at times maintaining a discreet presence. No better example of this kind of artful balance is the epic opener of the second set in which Ware pushes the stritch fully towards a Middle Eastern-Asian double-reed instrument, and the pipingly hot treble time trills are superbly cushioned by sensual, dampened, guimbri-like grooves from Parker and carefully rippled toms from Smith. Then again, the non-western character of the music, with the bass often as a whirring drone, certainly becomes all the more pronounced on the second set. While Ware's lifelong commitment to the art of improvisation made him an undoubted virtuoso, the saxophonist, Parker and Smith invest their endeavours with a deep devotional, if not transcendental, energy that resonates fully with a Trane-Ayler universalism. Serious music for the soul.