By this point in his career,
Sanders
had largely withdrawn from the kind of screeching avant-gardism on which he at first staked his reputation. The opening
"Moon Child,"
with its attractively spacy vocals, is reminiscent of the days of
"The Creator Has a Master Plan,"
but this version sounds too contrived to rival the classic earlier recording. The mood is subdued throughout and the choice of tunes definitely on the conservative side (
"All or Nothing at All"
and
"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,"
among the six tracks).
William Henderson
is lovely on piano, while the drummer (
Eddie Moore
) and percussionist (
Cheikh Tidiane Fale
) keep to the quiet side. The results may have originally disappointed some of
' fans, but with time the saxophonist clearly reinvented himself as a more traditional improviser capable of thoughtful and pensive deliberations. ~ Steven Loewy