Live at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki 1972

Recorded during Finland Festival in the summer of 1972, this live performance finds tenor saxophonist in vivacious spirit. Here, he is joined by Finnish keyboardist on Fender Rhodes. Also playing is 's trio, featuring his brother drummer and bassist . purportedly sought out for this performance, and the trio's exuberance in getting to play with one of their heroes is palpable in each song. While primarily a straight-ahead standards date, brings a wide-swinging creativity to the evening, flirting with the avant-garde-leaning, open-ended chordal harmonies and wave-like grooves that he had been exploring since emerging from his self-imposed Williamsburg bridge practice sabbatical in the early '60s. Together, he and the trio jump headlong into 's "Night and Day" and craft a painterly rendition of "My One and Only Love." They close out the night with a buoyantly clamorous, Latin-infused reading of ' own trademark song "St. Thomas." In keeping with much of the saxophonist's work during this period, these are extended performances, each pushing 20 minutes in length. Still, with his fat tone and endlessly motivic lines, ably focuses both the band's and the audience's attention throughout. ~ Matt Collar