This wonderful album was released in the same year as the stellar MUSIC FOR LARGE & SMALL ENSEMBLES, an album that found the quintet joined by a host of additional players. This set is every bit the equal of Kenny Wheeler's essential debut recording as a leader, GNU HIGH, as well as the equally lauded DEER WAN. The five players move through Wheeler's six original compositions with intuitive grace and subtle flair. His writing is full of rich rewards, as his complex but friendly melodicism undulates over dreamy landscapes. The solemn, 15-minute "Ana" is the set's longest piece, and is powerfully emotive.

Wheeler's background often finds him working in traditional modes as well as in the heart of the avant-garde (in the '70s he was a regular member of one of Anthony Braxton's most important ensembles). This experience has allowed him to develop a voice that straddles both worlds.

Recorded at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, Norway in February 1990. Includes liner notes by Steve Lake.

Kenny Wheeler Quintet: Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, flugelhorn); John Taylor (piano); John Abercrombie (guitar); Dave Holland (acoustic bass); Peter Erskine (drums).