How melodic can an alto saxophonist be? Listen to this effort and you'll have learned plenty. Pay special attention to "The Prisoner;" it's the ultimate lesson. If this album doesn't move you and make you appreciate how brilliant Art Pepper could be, you're probably too heavily into salt (pun intended). Supremely supportive of Pepper are the strings, which add more than a dimension; they shade and meld but don't jump out at you so as to say "there are also strings on this album so pay attention to us as well as Art." Finally, Stanley Cowell rarely gets much exposure. He shows here why he deserves a lot more. This is a beautiful album.