Establishing its Jamaican influence mainly by including (admittedly impressive) hand-drum playing by Candido, this was the only release by the Don Elliott Octet, though other were issued by the Don Elliott Quartet, Quintet, and Sextet incarnations.  Things are kept light and fairly unremarkable outside of the percussion solos, with practically no Caribbean flavor to the song-writing, but there’s still some nice mood-building to be found, and the musicians mesh their contributions together without overshadowing any of the contributors, though the fairly simple melodies make that less impressive than it would be for a more lively jazz set.

The exploration of small textures and subtle shadings keeps it from slipping into dullness, but at the same time, there’s little experimentation or improvisational flair to be found.  Besides the percussion, the horns get to indulge in the most liveliness, with extended quick-moving runs backed up by reliable bass-lines and supporting brass.  Despite the inclusion of some notable names in jazz, including Ernie Furtado on bass and arrangements by Gil Evans (the liner notes omit credits for any other performers besides the band-leader), the restraint of the material leads to an impression of it being too unambitious to really show off their talents to suitable extent.  Still, there are some nice moments to enjoy in the simplicity of it all, and the performers at least seem to be enjoying their work.