A "lost" classic of late Sixties jazz, this charming session brings together the fiery, refined tenor sax of John Gilmore; ruminative acoustic piano of Chick Corea; heavy, hefty-duty bass of Walter Booker; and leader Pete "LaRoca" Sims. Producer/label-head Alan Douglas apparently showed LaRoca the infamously voluptuous, decadent Ingres painting "Turkish Women At The Bath," and asked the drummer to base a record on it. LaRoca and crew incorporated tastes of modal, Far Eastern-influenced sounds into their music. Sun Ra sideman Gilmore gives typically brilliant performances in straight-ahead and spiritual, out-there playing, blowing long, lost notes of devotion and joy.

Mike McGonigal