The Czech-born bassist Miroslav Vitous combined Ron Carter's swing with Scott LaFaro's trailblazing technique, and his work with Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Weather Report made him a foundational figure in the avant-garde/jazz-fusion era of the sixties and seventies. This disk, an eight-track opus for ensemble, orchestra, and choir, follows his 2003 ECM release and features trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonists Bob Mintzer, Gary Campbell, and Bob Malach, and drummers Gerald Cleaver and Adam Nussbaum. The interplay between the ensemble improvisations and Vitous's well-crafted orchestral samples is crucial, and the leader is second to none at navigating that fine line between spontaneous and written composition, from the driving overture, "Opera," and the bandoneon-buoyed, Neapolitan nuances of "Mediterranean Love" to the martial musings of "Solar Giant." A classically trained improviser who easily bridges mainstream, free, and third-stream categories, Vitous has recorded a CD as comprehensive as his towering talents. --Eugene Holley, Jr.