Paul Bley: Walking Woman

Vicious. That's the word. With Eddie Gomez and Milford Graves holding down the low end, Sun Ra's not-so-secret weapon Marshall Allen and trumpeter Dewey Johnson launch a firestorm of sound. Leader Bley is more than up to the task, as he tosses back comments from behind his keyboard. A couple of near-unison squeaks from the horns, and Bley takes off on a long solo that sees him engage in a blistering call-&-response workout with Gomez. The entire band comes in for a short restatement of the head, giving a very Ornette-ish feel to the proceedings. People who have a knee-jerk reaction to free jazz should be directed to this track, as it's both technically thrilling and seriously fun.