This album is dedicated to Duke Ellington, and it features Duke Ellington tunes - but overall the set is a very personal moment from pianist Masaru Imada - maybe one of his strongest dates of the 70s! The music opens up with that beautifully creative Japanese piano trio approach of the 70s - lots of new ideas and new styles brimming forth throughout, but always in a way that's respectful of tradition while pushing things forward - swinging back to familiar modes one minute, then soaring forth with a personal spirit the next. Masaru's trio-mates here are a great match - the excellent Isoo Fukui on bass and Tetsujiro Obara on drums.