I’m glad you picked this. Live At The Berliner Jazztage doesn’t get talked about much, but it’s an incredible album. I like much more than Stepping Stones. Slide Hampton and Frank Foster were great recruits for this band.
What distinguishes this album are the arrangements and a well-rehearsed band. It’s incredibly intense. “Hello to the Wind” was written by Joe Chambers (Eugene McDaniels wrote the lyrics, though you will have to visit Bobby Hutcherson’s Now to hear). A variant on this song, featuring Woody, appears on Chamber’s The Almoravid. I believe Chambers did the arrangement for the Berlin concert. It’s an incredibly beautiful arrangement and the soloists are great. Larry Young’s “Obsequious” boils with intensity as well, especially when the hornmen trade fours.