Joe Giardullo - soprano sax. Recorded live at club RE, Krakow, Poland on April 24, 2004

Solo soprano saxophone albums in so-called free improv are surprisingly frequent these days but in jazz they're still relatively rare, probably because the musicians concerned don't exactly relish being compared to Steve Lacy, whose work still remains something a benchmark in the genre, albeit an idiosyncratic one. Lacy's sound, like John Coltrane's on the instrument, was fat, round and rich, while Giardullo's is leaner, more fragile and feminine and content to explore the cracks, especially on the beautiful title track, which sustains interest effortlessly over nearly 19 minutes: no mean feat. (Dan Warburton)