While perhaps best known to some as the composer of the soundtrack music for the Bernardo Bertolucci film "Last Tango In Paris", or for his string of '70's era latin/jazz records, this album is a far cry from both of those. His second date as a leader, after "Togetherness" in 1966 and a stint with Don Cherry, Mystery... is a straight-ahead free blowing session.

Caught in transition from his earlier, Ayler-influenced roughness to his modern-day honey-toned sound, this record is an interesting document of an artist discovering himself, and bears the marks of tightrope walking throughout. The frequent solos from cellist Calo Scott swing between country-sounding licks and classical technique, and Gato's tenor goes from sweet lyricism to stratospheric wailing over and over, though there is much more structure to his lines than I had at first thought.

The other two members of the quartet are a bit under-represented here, Bobby Kapp's drums under-powered and Sirone's bass extremely difficult to make out. This doesn't detract much though, as they still manage to kick up a reasonable clatter when necessary, and play with sensitivity during the lighter sections. The music's real strength is the interplay between Barbieri and Scott, as the cellist shadows the tenor lines or spits filigree in the tiny spots between notes.