The thing about James Carter is, you never know what he'll do next. He can play in virtually any style, in any company, on any saxophone and various woodwind instruments, and sound equally convincing. And his solos can be just as unpredictable. The first piece here starts out as down-home funk and ends somewhere in outer space. In the course of a dozen numbers he plays four saxophones, from soprano to baritone, plus flute. He has phenomenal control of them all and a wonderful sense of swing, which he deploys with immense joie de vivre. It's exhausting but exhilarating.