No one talks about Graham Bond any more, but the singer, organist and alto saxophonist was one of the key figures of the London scene in the 1960s. Long before drugs and mysticism got him, even before he put together the rhythm section that would go on to become two-thirds of Cream, his saxophone was one of the most distinctive sounds of British jazz: rough-edged, passionate and best showcased in a quintet led in 1961 by Don Rendell, under whose name this exhilarating album was recorded for the Jazzland label.

All the excitement of the time is present in these seven pieces, which nod to Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and Cannonball Adderley while constructing a bridge between soul-jazz and the avant-garde. Bond's scalding alto and Rendell's more considered tenor made a wonderful team, particularly in their passages of unaccompanied contrapuntal improvisations, while the underrated pianist and composer John Burch is given a rare showcase. Even now, Bond's funky choruses on Blue Monk are enough to raise the hairs on the back of the neck.