Frank Lowe was a very dynamic tenor saxophonist who derived inspiration from the initial and subsequent movements of free jazz throughout the 1960s. Lowe is most known for his collaborations with drummer Rashied Ali and a few of the many albums released under his own name. Throughout his career, he has often been overshadowed by the influence of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. He has left behind an outstanding collection of solo and leader work, including contributions to Don Cherry's Ralativity Suite and Brown Rice, Alice Coltrane's World Galaxy, and other works. Having started as a bandleader, he played and recorded with a range of musicians around the New York jazz and improvisational music scene, from the guitarist Eugene Chadbourne to the trumpeter Don Cherry; but at the core of his musical circle throughout were the violinist Billy Bang, the drummer Phillip Wilson and the cornetist Butch Morris. He developed a style that was songlike and slow, shorn of extra notes, and tending toward melancholy. 
Exotic Heartbeat was recorded at Barigozzi Studios, Milano, October 22-23, 1981 and released in 1982. A female pianist named Amina Claudine Myers, who has contributed significant pieces to Minor Music, was a member of the quintet. Lowe explore the music's tonal colors and harmony while keeping the framework together. Butch Morris punctuates every line to remind the players where this music comes from, while Myers unravels it from the inside, stitching chromatic patterns in counterpoint to create a droning, open piece of early Americana and European folk song forms. As Lowe and Morris separate their in-the-pocket funkiness, trading arpeggiated glances of counterpoint, it becomes clear the listener has joined Lowe's musical cosmos, which has no borders. The essence of Soul Note's label is beautifully captured in this exceptional piece of avant-jazz, showcasing the label's distinct style and vision. Original album design by Carmen Lowe, in typical Moki Cherry's signature psychedelic style.