Alongside folks like Phil Ranelin and Marcus Belgrave, Bobby Cook spent time in the late 1960s teaching music to kids at the Detroit Composer’s Workshop. It was there he met a young guitar player named James Ulmer, a natural fit to sit in with Bobby’s group having already recorded a few sessions with Big John Patton for the Blue Note label. His composition “On The Way” is the only evidence of Ulmer’s brief stint in Detroit before jetting off to New York and joining Rashied Ali’s quintet as James “Blood” Ulmer.

The trio expanded to a quartet with the addition of Danny Turner on tenor sax. Enthusiasm for the NASA space program was at an all time high and this boisterous instrumental was dedicated to the astronauts of Apollo 8, which launched almost one month to the day after “Ridin’ High” was recorded. Felton sent a copy to NASA with a letter of goodwill, which was responded to with genuine and sincere thanks. The version included here is the unexpurgated original take, uncut by the limitations of the 45 format.