David Holland Quartet - Conference of the Birds (1973)

An avant-garde jazz classic. I was gonna post a different Holland record, cause this is the one that everyone knows, but what if you've never heard it? I couldn't live with myself.

Track listing:
1. Four Winds
2. Q & A
3. Conference of the Birds
4. Interception
5. Now Here (Nowhere)
6. See-Saw

Deluge

Sam Rivers - Crystals (1974)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Sam Rivers - Contours (1965)

An all-out brilliant album of cacophonous free jazz and driving, discordant avant-garde jazz, with just a touch of Rivers' hard bop roots. In a career full of formidable highs, Crystals is arguably his greatest achievement.

Track listing:
1. Exultation
2. Tranquility
3. Postlude
4. Bursts
5. Orb
6. Earth Song

I'll never smile again

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