Igor91 I stumbled upon this obscure Three Blind Mice release not too long ago and it has fast become one of my favorite jazz albums. Saxophonist Allan Praskin is kind of a "dark horse" in jazz. He recorded very little under his own name, and not much in general. Apparently, he spent most of his career living in Europe, playing gigs with various musicians on the live circuit there. Praskin is a fantastic saxophonist and deserves some accolades for his Japan-only release, "Encounter."

Praskin's prowess is on full display on this 1971 release. Joining Praskin are some of the great Japanese players of the time: Kiyoshi Sugimoto on electric guitar, Yoshio Ikeda on bass, and the great Motohiko Hino on drums. This is an exhilarating dose of hard bop with avant-garde/free jazz tendencies. The album consists of three originals by Praskin and two covers. The musicians play together wonderfully, and skillfully paint outside the lines without going too far-out for too long. "The Height Of Spring" ventures into fusion territory, with Sugimoto delivering a stinging, slightly distorted guitar solo. Closing the album is a fine rendering of Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation."

All four musicians shine on this date, and Praskin's soloing is mind-bending in its intensity, skill, soul, and stamina. The man is simply on fire here. This one should really get more recognition than it does. A near masterpiece of edgy jazz from the 70"s.