Easily one of my favorite recordings for the presence of John Hicks, Reggie Workman and Ed Blackwell. This was the first recording of what I eventually called my Power Quartet. John Hicks was the main ingredient in this group for over 20 years. His wisdom and ingenuity will be sorely missed on the jazz scene as will Ed Blackwells. They both were innovators of their instruments and did their utmost to push the music forward every night. Also I will miss the engineer David Baker who left us a few years ago. The title cut "Morning Song" always reminds me of how I woke up to my mother playing the piano after getting my father off to work as a garbage man at 5:30 am. The "Off Season" was the theme song for an independent movie of the same name by Mary Bailey. "Duet" was written to the rhythm and syncopation of Ed Blackwell and his continuous flow of multi-rhythms. The two standards "Body and Soul" and "Jitterbug Waltz" showed the dexterity of the Power Quartet even extending Tin Pam Alley into something great. Of course Butch Morris "Light Blue Frolic" is one of my favorite Morris themes.