Elvin Jones - Genesis (1971)

Cosmic, meditative post-bop led by percussionist Elvin Jones. The whole record has a slow-burning quality, from simmering, late-night vignettes to groove-heavy improv showcases.

Track listing:
1. P.P. Phoenix
2. For All the Other Times
3. Slumber
4. Three Card Molly
5. Cecilia Is Love

Inner space

You'd also enjoy:

Jean-Luc Ponty -
Electric Connection (1969)

Joe Henderson - Black Is the
Color (1972) + Black Narcissus (1976)

McCoy Tyner - Expansions (1968)

One of the very best out of many stellar releases from this jazz pianist great, Expansions splits the difference between relatively straightforward hard bop grooves and frantic, atonal avant-garde jazz. I can't even imagine coming close to making music that's this advanced.

Track listing:
1. Vision
2. Song of Happiness
3. Smitty's Place
4. Peresina
5. I Thought I'd Let You Know

The high priest

Eddie Henderson - Sunburst (1975)

I'm back from the beach, NYC, and motherfuckin' Towson, baby! Sorry to take off so suddenly on you, but you know I gotta do me. To make it up to you, here's some spaced but hard-hitting jazz-funk from trumpeter Eddie Henderson and company that I recently had the pleasure of listening to while walking around Loch Raven reservoir, high on hydrocodone and muscle relaxers. (I realize that this is the second post in a row in which I've mentioned being high on pills, but I refuse to put effort into these little blurbs, so you can take it or leave it.)

Track listing:
1. Explodition
2. The Kumquat Kids
3. Sunburst
4. Involuntary Bliss
5. Hop Scotch
6. Galaxy
7. We End in a Dream

Omnipresence

Andrew Hill - Black Fire (1963)

Pianist Andrew Hill's classic second LP. Over fifty years after its release, Black Fire still sounds fresh and exploratory. Some of the best music, right here.

Track listing:
1. Pumpkin
2. Subterfuge
3. Black Fire
4. Cantarnos
5. Tired Trade
6. McNeil Island
7. Land of Nod
8. Pumpkin (Alternate Take)
9. Black Fire (Alternate Take)

Dedication

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

Wayne Shorter - Super Nova (1969)

Excellent, adventurous album led by saxophone great Wayne Shorter, who I was just talking about. A highly diverse set, ranging from frantically energetic fusion that borders on free jazz ("Supernova", "More Than Human") to relatively straightforward hard bop ("Water Babies") to reflective and low-key ("Sweet Pea".) Atop all of these great moments, though, rests the album's centerpiece and undeniable highlight -- "Dindi", a mind-melting journey from clattering percussion and nervous, sparse melodic elements to a gentle, acoustic-led Portuguese ballad, then back out through explosive, climactic full band improvisation. Features John McLaughlin, among others.

Track listing:
1. Supernova
2. Sweet Pea
3. Dindi
4. Water Babies
5. Capricorn
6. More Than Human

Wild flower

Andrew Hill - Lift Every Voice (1969)

In which jazz pianist Andrew Hill incorporates a full choir into his ensemble. Like much of Hill's work, Lift Every Voice deftly straddles the line between avant-garde and accessible.

Track listing (6-10 are CD bonus tracks):
1. Hey Hey
2. Lift Every Voice
3. Two Lullabies
4. Love Chant
5. Ghetto Lights
6. Blues Spark
7. A Tender Tale
8. Drew's Tune
9. Mother Mercy
10. Natural Spirit
11. Such It Is

We will not go back