he brilliant pianist Don Pullen was a striking and versatile player whose music spanned a wide variety of styles. Pullen first came to prominence as a member of Charles Mingus’ group in the early 1970s, and later formed a co-led quartet with saxophonist George Adams that was signed to Blue Note Records in 1986. Following two excellent Pullen/Adams Quartet albums—Breakthrough and Song Everlasting—Pullen branched out on his own in the trio format with his 1988 recording New Beginnings featuring bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Tony Williams. This impressive 6-song set of original compositions found Pullen getting down to the core of his distinctive sound with the wild avant-garde flourishes of pieces like “Reap the Whirlwind” juxtaposed against winsome groove- and swing-rooted pieces like “Jana’s Delight” and the title track.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.