Milt Jackson - Sunflower (1972)

Gorgeous, sprawling, laid-back pieces led by vibraphonist Milt Jackson (a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet) and filled out by a small orchestra's worth of supporting musicians, including the always-phenomenal Herbie Hancock.

Track listing:
1. For Someone I Love
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life
3. People Make the World Go 'Round
4. Sunflower
5. SKJ

A sky filled with feathers

You might also like:

Freddie Hubbard -
First Light (1971)

Bennie Maupin -
The Jewel in the Lotus (1974)

Charles Earland - Leaving This Planet (1974)

Red-hot, stratosphere-bound fusion led by organist/keyboardist Charles Earland. Includes performances by Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Henderson, Joe Henderson, and many others.

Track listing:
1. Leaving This Planet
2. Red Clay
3. Warp Factor 8
4. Brown Eyes
5. Asteroid
6. Mason's Galaxy
7. No Me Esqueca
8. Tyner
9. Van Jay
10. Never Ending Melody

Searching for the right door

Freddie Hubbard - First Light (1971)

A masterpiece of cushiony, lush, ornate, spaced-out jazz fusion. Of the many, many great records Hubbard put out, First Light might be the most satisfying.  Virtually any and every music nerd needs to know about this album.

Track listing:
1. First Light
2. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
3. Moment to Moment
4. Yesterday's Dreams
5. Lonely Town

True colors

Sam Rivers - Contours (1965)

Contours served as my introduction to avant-garde jazz, and years later, it remains one of my favorite jazz records. Rivers plays sax and flute like he's out of his goddamn mind, seamlessly shifting back and forth between cohesive melodic themes to complete atonal chaos, and his excellent backing musicians (Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Joe Chambers) follow him down the rabbit hole. Through this record, I came to understand that there is no key to 'getting' jazz -- you just listen attentively, allow yourself to be responsive, and keep in mind that actual human beings and physical instruments are producing the otherworldly sounds that you're hearing.

Track listing:
1. Point of Many Returns
2. Dance of the Tripedal
3. Euterpe
4. Mellifluous Cacophony
5. Mellifluous Cacophony (Alternate Take) [bonus]

Bursts