Joe Henderson - Power to the People (1969)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Joe Henderson - Black Is the Color (1972) + Black Narcissus (1976)
Joe Henderson - Multiple (1973)

One of the first jazz records that ever stuck with me. Loose and energetic pieces that build from a low simmer to chaotic peaks with incredible ease. Unsurprisingly, Herbie Hancock puts in some phenomenal work.

Track listing:
1. Black Narcissus
2. Afro-Centric
3. Opus One-Point-Five
4. Isotope
5. Power to the People
6. Lazy Afternoon
7. Foresight and Afterthought (An Impromptu Suite in Three Movements)

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem

You'll probably also enjoy:

Elvin Jones -
Genesis (1971)

Steve Reid -
Nova (1976)

Herbie Hancock - Sunlight (1978)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)
Herbie Hancock - Thrust (1974)
Herbie Hancock - Secrets (1976)

Vocoder, synth, and levels of smoothness previously thought to be humanly impossible.

Track listing:
1. I Thought It Was You
2. Come Running to Me
3. Sunlight
4. No Means Yes
5. Good Question

You don't have to be afraid anymore

You should also listen to:

Ronnie Laws -
Pressure Sensitive (1975)

Dave Valentin -
Land of the Third Eye (1980)

Norman Connors - Dance of Magic (1972)

Phenomenal, far out, funky fusion led by drummer Norman Connors. The title track is a clattering, shimmering, nervously gorgeous masterstroke that borders on full-on free jazz, and while the rest of the record is a bit more in the pocket, it still bursts at the seams with energy and inspiration. As you can see, Connors put together quite the lineup of musicians for Dance of Magic, including Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock, and Eddie Henderson.

Track listing:
1. Dance of Magic
2. Morning Change
3. Blue
4. Give the Drummer Some

Twilight zone

Also check out:

Charles Earland -
Leaving This Planet (1974)

Bennie Maupin -
The Jewel in the Lotus (1974)

Herbie Hancock - Secrets (1976)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)

Lay down your worries, and get funky with Herbie Hancock. Airtight grooves, plenty of synth and Rhodes, wah-wah guitar, a bit of vocals/vocoder, generally laid-back, playful, pleasantly stoned vibes -- Secrets is just about as chill as can be considered humanly possible.

Track listing:
1. Doin' It
2. People Music
3. Cantaloupe Island
4. Spider
5. Gentle Thoughts
6. Swamp Rat
7. Sansho Shima

Dolphin dance

You should also listen to:

Eddie Henderson -
Mahal (1978)

Kimiko Kasai -
Butterfly (1979)

Kimiko Kasai - Butterfly (1979)

Positively sublime, pop-oriented soul-jazz from Japanese jazz singer Kimiko Kasai. In case you need more convincing: Butterfly is, seemingly, a full-on collaboration between Kasai and Herbie Hancock, and features the great Bennie Maupin on sax. Run, don't walk.

Track listing:
1. Thought It Was You
2. Tell Me a Bedtime Story
3. Head in the Clouds
4. Maiden Voyage
5. Harvest Time
6. Sunlight
7. Butterfly
8. As

This love in my heart

You might also enjoy:

Cortex - Troupeau Bleu (1975)

Eddie Henderson - Mahal (1978)

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)

Bennie Maupin - The Jewel in the Lotus (1974)

Beautiful, highly abstract jazz fusion led by multi-instrumentalist Bennie Maupin. Much of the album has a fragmented, nervous energy that nonetheless maintains some semblance of tranquility, perfectly matching my presently unsuccessful attempts to decompress.

Track listing:
1. Ensenada
2. Mappo
3. Excursion
4. Past + Present = Future
5. The Jewel in the Lotus
6. Winds of Change
7. Song for Tracie Dixon Summers
8. Past Is Past

Weird door

Herbie Hancock - Thrust (1974)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)

Thrust is Herbie Hancock at his funkiest, and in a discography chock full of winners, it might just be my personal favorite. Also, one of my all-time favorite album covers.

Track listing:
1. Palm Grease
2. Actual Proof
3. Butterfly
4. Spank-A-Lee

You'll know when you get here

Miles Davis - Get Up with It (1974)

A personal favorite of mine from Miles Davis' discography, Get Up with It is a double album of material recorded at various points from 1970 to '74. Even within the context of a career as challenging and game-changing as Davis', opening an album with the 32-minute, mind dissolving, slow burning "He Loved Him Madly" was a pretty confrontational move. Wah-wah guitars, hand percussion, dissonant organ-led freakouts, half-hour-long jams -- I can practically see weed smoke pouring out of my speakers. If you don't think that Miles Davis created some of the raddest sounds in the history of life on this planet, you're wrong.

Track listing:
-Disc One-
1. He Loved Him Madly
2. Maiysha
3. Honky Tonk
4. Rated X
-Disc Two-
1. Calypso Frelimo
2. Red China Blues
3. Mtume
4. Billy Preston

Voodoo

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

Miroslav Vitouš - Infinite Search (1969)

First album by Czech jazz bassist Miroslav Vitouš. Energetic, playful, and heady, Infinite Search has one foot in the then-new world of jazz fusion and the other in slightly more avant-garde territory, and features a formidable cast of musicians, including Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Joe Chambers, and Jack DeJohnette.

Track listing:
1. Freedom Jazz Dance
2. Mountain in the Clouds
3. When Face Gets Pale
4. Infinite Search
5. I Will Tell Him on You
6. Epilogue

Beautiful place to

Milton Nascimento - Minas (1975)

One of many jaw-dropping albums of breezy, evocative, effortlessly innovative jazz/folk/ornate pop/psych tunes from Brazilian music legend Milton Nascimento. Released shortly after Native Dancer, a fruitful collaboration with saxophonist Wayne Shorter that granted Nascimento a worldwide audience, Minas is bursting at the seams with ideas -- one moment, laid-back folk rock glides over skittering jazz rhythms; the next, a choir battles towering guitar feedback; the next, syncopated hand percussion and wa-wa guitars disappear into a cloud of lush strings. All this, yet Minas makes for an easy, cohesive, one might even say, relaxing listen.

Track listing:
1. Minas
2. Fé Cega, Faca Amolada
3. Beijo Partido
4. Saudade dos Aviões da Panair (Conversando no Bar)
5. Gran Circo
6. Ponta de Areia
7. Trastevere
8. Idolatrada
9. Leila (Venha Ser Feliz)
10. Paula e Bebeto
11. Simples
12. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (bonus)
13. Caso Você Queira Saber (bonus)

From the lonely afternoons

Herbie Hancock - Sextant (1973)

One of Hancock's most challenging sets. Heavy on synthesizers. Atmospheric, dissonant, heady, and a lil' funky.

Track listing:
1. Rain Dance
2. Hidden Shadows
3. Hornets

Palm grease