One of David Murray’s best-loved groups comes roaring out of the gate on their 1980 debut. The front line consists of Murray on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Henry Threadgill on alto sax, Olu Dara on trumpet, Lawrence “Butch” Morris on cornet, and George Lewis on trombone, with pianist Anthony Davis, bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Steve McCall in support. The five compositions, all by Murray, combine the fullness of Ellington with raucous free jazz intensity. Opener “The Fast Life” lives up to its title, exploding at punk-rock speed, and even the title piece, a romantic ballad written for Murray’s wife at the time, boils with intensity.