during his solo contrasting with the flow of the bass and drums. This and the wispy waltz 'Little One' lack the intensity of the best trio as well." In the German JazzPodium, Willie Gschwendner lets us know: "This Mal Waldron Trio belongs to a very special category of piano-trios. The degree of personal attention, of feeling and transcendence, of total musical communication that pours over the listener is the best of melodic and creative jazz that you could ever get to hear today ... Mal Waldron's madly percussive moments of playing, like in 'Dancing on the Flames', in which his exalted manner of approaching rhythm, urged on by Betch's beat - sworn to his drums - and Ed Schuller's walking bass, can be relished alternately with the reserved gliding along in the brilliant 'A Bow to the Classics'." J.W. in the German Jazzthetik states that, "The chemistry of this trio is brilliant" and talks about "Mal Waldron's hypnotic repetition of tones, percussive rebounding and his profound absorption in the nature of sound and rhythm - there's something almost religious about his piano-playing, quite different from the esoteric or aetherial. The mind-set required for this performance is both relaxed and focussed, both casual and intensely centered – contradictions that are worked out and resolved with excellence whilst playing. The great old master Mal Waldron has delivered a work of outstanding quality here. Far removed from every sort of sporty virtuosity, he abstracts melody to a few quintessential notes and from these, outlines icons of unheard dynamics, sets forth short phrases like polished stones from a collection, playful, with just a few annotations. A slow ballad imperceptibly becomes a thrilling climb through the harmonies, an alleotoric beginning is gently turned into rhythmic passion, while simpler means conjure quiet grandeur from the elegant simplicity of a waltz." (Germany, Kiel, Diabolo 10–1988) Daniel Chardon writes in Jazz Hot, France: "Mal, who can be identified apart from anything else, by his enchanting abracadabra, who has always been called a great Sorcerer, a master of hallucination and of trance ... who propels, most of all, Jim Pepper out into the light in this ballad! Long live Mal Waldron! Long live Tutu Records! Long live Trance!" The album was awarded 3 stars by AllMusic. Track listing All compositions by Mal Waldron except as indicated "Dancing on the Flames" — 9:34 "A Bow to the Classics" — 7:59