by Scott Yanow
For his first studio recording with his colorful big band, Don Ellis utilized five trumpets, three trombones, five reeds, Mike Lang on keyboards, three bassists, drummer Steve Bohannon, and three percussionists to perform some remarkable new music. The most memorable selection is &Indian Lady& (accurately described as a &hoedown in 5/4&), which with its false endings is often quite humorous. The other four originals (the trumpeter-leader's feature on &Alone,& &Turkish Bath,& &Open Beauty,& and the 17/4 &New Horizons&), while lesser-known, are also quite spirited. For the first time Ellis opened his band to the influence of rock (making liberal use of electronics) and the results lend themselves to some hilarity.