Arthur Blythe - Elaborations (1982) [24bit FLAC]

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
With only one or two exceptions, all of altoist Arthur Blythe's recordings for Columbia during 1978-87 are surprisingly rewarding; he avoided the temptations of commercialism and generally kept true to his musical vision. Blythe's unusual quintet (with guitarist Kelvyn Bell, cellist Abdul Wadud, Bob Stewart on tuba and drummer Bobby Battle) is well featured on five of his originals (most memorable is "The Lower Nile") and "One Mint Julep." This post bop music (which falls between advanced hard bop and the avant-garde) is well worth several listens but unfortunately the recommended LP (as with all of Blythe's Columbia albums) has yet to be reissued on CD.