This slab of Brit-jazz was the first full album released by Rendell's new quintet after the split of the Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet in 1970. For this venture, the hard-blowing tenor man surrounded himself with a younger generation of players, including an extremely versatile front line of multi-instrumentalists. Rendell seems to get a kick out of writing unusual sequences to suit: on the low-down funky lope of ‘Antibes’, for instance, Robinson, Shade and Rendell deal out three consecutive flute solos, with each finding something new to say; and on the ballad ‘The Street Called Straight’, Rendell's happy to stick to flute and let Robinson take the tenor spot. The vibraphone and multiple horns occasionally create a slightly anodyne ‘light entertainment’ feel, as on the sweetly gentle waltz ‘Summer Song,’ but Thorncroft and Tomkins' hefty rhythm work on swingers like ‘On The Way’ more than make up for it.

Vinyl sold in 2012 for £161 at ebay.com