** 2024 restock, long out of print - few copies avaialble **  Reissue of the legendary Amalgam recording with Trevor Watts, Jeff Clyne, John Stevens and Barry Guy. This recording received the highest rating by The Penguin Guide to Jazz. It was re-mastered from the original reel to reel tapes. : In the late 60s, British jazz was in a state of flux, pulling itself into strange new shapes influenced by the U.S. avant garde, European improvisation and rock and giving birth to bands such as Keith Tippett's Centipede, Nucleus, and Trevor Watts' Amalgam. Alto saxophonist Watts was the driving force behind the legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble, alongside drummer John Stevens. While that outfit took post Coltrane jazz further out into the spiky landscapes of what was later to be called 'free improvisation', Amalgam operated in more melodic, less cerebral territory over their thirteen year history. Avantgarde/free jazz LP with a raw intense vibe yet with the melancholic not far away. The bass player Jeff Clyne has a great sound that's very deep and fresh.