Drummer Steve Reid, with his dazzling discography that includes sideman credits for everyone from Motown to Sun Ra and James Brown, is a musician whose own work as a bandleader is still coming to light.

Appreciation was growing before his untimely death in 2010 and the release of this 1980 session should simply add to his stature. In fact, this is arguably a highlight of Reid's body of work as much for the conceptual ingenuity of the band as the skill of the players. To a certain extent, New Life is the antithesis of a jazz-rock power trio and serves as a reminder that small bands do not always have to have big sounds to generate great interest. Brandon Ross' acoustic guitar has all the sensual heat of the best country blues as well as a harmonic daring that speaks of inspiration drawn from the likes of Ornette and James Blood Ulmer, while double bassist David Wertman is equally adventurous in his line construction, often pushing the tonality ‘out' as he keeps a strong pulse. As for Reid, he is able to somehow float around his bandmates yet energise each piece with a wide range of rhythmic ideas that provide momentum without breaking into frenzied thrash. The control of the band makes it all the more impactful. The vaguely Mexican-Spanish resonances in the mix alongside the Delta-like elements create an intoxicating folk art, and the future trajectory of Ross in particular- as a key member of groups led by Henry Threadgill and the co-operative Harriet Tubman – make Visions Of The Third Eye an essential glimpse of greatness that larger audiences would later behold.