Avant-garde jazz trumpeter Norman Howard was born in Cleveland, OH, on August 25, 1944, and was a contemporary of saxophonist Albert Ayler (the two worked together on Ayler's Witches & Devils album). In 1968 Howard and a quartet that included alto saxophonist Joe Phillips recorded two sessions originally intended for release on the ESP label. Unfortunately, the label hit hard times and the albums didn't materialize. While those tapes languished in the vaults, cassette copies began to surface via collectors. Finally, in 2007, the Burn Baby Burn session was released for the first time on CD by ESP. ~ Al Campbell