Polish Violinist Zbignew Seiferts was a musician’s musician, a player who is still talked about with a sense of awe. By the time of his death in 1979 at the age of 32, he had an international following and was playing with the jazz world’s elite. This 1976 recording features some of the music’s premiere musicians. U.S. drummer Billy Hart ranks with such innovators as Elvin Jones and Tony Williams; master bassist Cecil McBee’s credentials include work with Miles Davis and Kieth Jarrett. Best known for his own work, renowned German pianist Joachim Kühn has played with the likes of Michael Brecker and Ornette Coleman. On City of Spring Seiferts’ incredible violin solo melds Trane’s style into his own, Kühn polishes off a riveting Tyner-rooted solo, and Hart tends the flame that keeps this group burning. Man of Light is dedicated to McCoy Tyner, and the group performs a superb Trane-Tyner homage. The lyrical ballad Stillness features Seiferts and McBee in duo with violin overdubs creating a chamber orchestra effect. Turbulent Plover propels the band in tempestuous flight, while Love in the Garden infuses romanticism with a touch of the classic as Sieferts brings in Dutch keyboardist Jasper van’t Hof for an exploration in duo. On Coral the players soar over Hart’s cascading drums. Illuminating music by arguably the greatest violinist in modern jazz!
