Beau Coup is condemned to forever remain a cult classic; it is one of the many exciting bands (and solo artists) who will always be fondly remembered within the AOR and pomprock minded community, but who outside this sphere have never received the recognition they so richly deserved…

Phil Woods was only 22 at the time of this program (reissued on CD), but he was already an explosive and very talented bop-oriented altoist. This obscure set, one of his earliest recordings, has seven group originals, plus the lone standard "Mad About the Boy," and is full of excitement. Woods, trumpeter Jon Eardley, pianist George Syran, bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Nick Stabulas all display both youthful energy and a strong knowledge of Charlie Parker's innovations, making this an essential, if little-known acquisition for bop collectors.

Here Garbarek is approaching the extremes of his style, appearing once again with the Jan Garbarek Group. He has his usual stark, meditative pieces, interspersed with some cutting-edge work, occasionally spinning just enough out of control to be exciting. And in other places he ventures headlong into the syrupy fields of Kenny G.-land. All pieces on this record are titled after quotes from poems by Tomas Transtromer, and though the actual connection to these poems remains tenuous at best, they do add a provocative element to the pieces themselves, which beg for at least some programmatic interpretation. Excellent bass work by Eberhard Weber, particularly on the more avant-garde pieces (e.g., "The Crossing Place" and "One Day in March I Go Down to the Sea and Listen"). Multi-instrumentalist David Torn is primarily responsible for the more aggressive edge this record takes.