Seven stunning solo and duet improvisations by masters of avant-garde jazz: Dewey Redman, Ed Blackwell, Marion Brown, Derek Bailey, George Lewis and Dennis Charles. As the album title implies, these early '80s recordings display these modern greats firmly rooted in jazz tradition: Charles' amazing melodic drumming on Charlie Parker's "Now's The Time", Blackwell's r&b/New Orleans marching band rhythms, and Brown's gorgeous version of the standard "Angel Eyes" interpolated with a famous riff from "Harlem Nocturne". This terrific live document demonstrates their place in the jazz pantheon.