European broadcasting saves the day yet again, or ‘noch einmals’ as they say in Germany. We have to thank Radio Bremen for the recording and safe keeping of this gripping performance by American alto saxophonist Marion Brown, leading an ensemble that comprises his compatriot, AACM drum legend Steve McCall and lesser known local players who more than hold their own.

In fact, the presence of trombonist Ed Kroger is interesting for the contrasts he strikes with the leader's high punchy reed. There is a brawn, bulk and bluster in the ensemble sound that is representative of the wave of avant-garde players who found a way of ratcheting the intensity levels of their work and freeing up meter without abandoning the core values of spirituals and swing. The additional layers provided by Brown's carnivalesque recorder as well as Kroger's rumbling percussion contribute to the overall freshness of the palette, and the improvising is also at a notably high standard throughout. Like Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders, Brown was one of John Coltrane's significant protégés, and the spirit of the ‘Father’ is vividly invoked on ‘Ode To Coltrane.’