there are few sessions to rival this one for sheer urgency and gusto.  it's as if something pent-up in these four musicians waited for this combination of players to unleash it--the music explodes into action. pianist john blum is a secret hero of new york's free jazz community, known as a proficient & forceful improviser in the tradition of his mentors, borah bergmann & cecil taylor.  blum's performance on astrogeny is his shining moment on disc to date.  the legendary denis charles was at his best when paired with william parker; together they formed one of the great, yet under-documented, rhythm-sections in the music.  antonio grippi, a shadowy figure in free-jazz history, makes an appropriately rousing contribution on alto saxophone.