Return to the Wide Open Spaces

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]

In his review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow states "For this live concert recorded at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, a mostly all-star group of Texas jazzmen (plus pianist Ellis Marsalis from New Orleans) was gathered together. The music, which includes four blues and three standards among its nine selections, lacks any real surprises. ... Some better planning and the utilization of a few charts (rather than the funcitonal frameworks) would have elevated the pleasing date to a much higher level".[4] The Los Angeles Times said "there's a lot of good, unpretentious playing here... More originality and less predictability would have improved this date".[5]

1. Introduction – 1:26
2. "Buster's Tune" (Buster Smith) – 5:23
3. "Hard Times" (Paul Mitchell) – 8:22
4. "13th Floor" (David "Fathead" Newman) – 7:22
5. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons) – 5:18
6. "These Foolish Things" (Jack Stracheyl, Holt Marvell, Harry Link) – 5:05
7. "Two Bones and a Pick" (Aaron Walker) – 6:19
8. "City Lights" (Jimmy McGriff) – 10:03
9. "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn) – 7:10
10. "A Night in Tunisia" (Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli) – 9:58

• David "Fathead" Newman – alto saxophone, flute
• Ellis Marsalis – piano
• Cornell Dupree – guitar
• James Clay – tenor saxophone
• Dennis Dotson – trumpet
• Leroy Cooper – baritone saxophone
• Chuck Rainey - bass
• George Rains – drums