Re-mastering by: Cicely Baston at Alchemy/Air Mastering

Recorded with a who’s who of fusion titans including trumpeter Eddie Henderson, bassist Stanley Clarke, and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, Dance of Magic channels the lessons drummer Norman Connors learned in the employ of Pharoah Sanders, Sam Rivers, and Sun Ra, marshalling Latin rhythms, electronic textures, and cosmic mysticism to create non-denominational yet deeply spiritual funk-jazz. The sprawling 21-minute title cut spans the entirety of the record’s first half, capturing a monumental jam session that explores the outer edges of free improvisation but never steps past the point of no return.

Connors’ furious drumming is like a trail of bread crumbs that leads his collaborators back home. The remaining three tracks are smaller in scale but no less epic in scope, culminating with the blistering “Give the Drummer Some.” by Jason Ankeny

Personnel: Gary Bartz – Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone; Stanley Clarke – Bass; Norman Connors – Drums; Art Webb – Flute; Anthony Wiles – Percussion [African], Balafon [Baliphone] – Nat Bettis – Percussion [African], Congas; Herbie Hancock – Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes]; Carlos Garnett – Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone; Eddie Henderson – Trumpet; Cecil McBee – bass; Airto Moreira – percussion; Alphonse Mouzon – percussion; Billy Hart – percussion; Engineer: Harry Yarmark

Producer: Dennis Wilen, Skip Drinkwater