In the early '70s, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Barry Altschul had a well-deserved reputation as the most fluently creative rhythm section in free jazz. Two of the groups they worked with regularly were those of Sam Rivers and Anthony Braxton. It was Holland's inspiration to pair the two in this 1972 quartet, when Rivers and Braxton represented two distinct generations of the avant-garde, the former generating explosive, driven tenor lines filled with honks and cries and the latter creating oblique postmodern solos on a variety of reeds. It was a brilliant idea, and the results are one of the essential jazz recordings of the'70s. Holland's compositions include boppish, Ornette-inspired lines and strong melodies that provide cool and varied frames for improvisation. That Rivers and Braxton are among the finest flutists in jazz is just one of the treats, while Holland is one of the great bassists. Altschul's scintillating drumming completes a quartet with some of the quickest reflexes in improvised music. --Stuart Broomer
Conference of the Birds,Dave Holland Quartet,Ecm Records,Avant-Garde Jazz,England,Free Jazz,Jazz,Pop,Post-Bop
Jazz Music:
- Coral Keys [Import]
- Dance Date [Live]
- Delicious Jazz-As You Like It [Import]
- Desert Lady
- Double Trios
- Double Trouble
- Drive Passion Unpredictable
- Easterly Winds [Limited Edition] [Original recording remastered] [Import]
- Eugene (1989)
- Fifth House
Jazz Music
Sulk [Original recording remastered] [Import]
Twelve Duets for Soprano & Contralto
Music: Ian Bostridge - The English Songbook
Dodens Triumf [Original recording remastered] [Import]
The World of the Symphony, Vol. 2 (Box Set) [Box set]
Ultimate Knees Up Party [Import]
Variations Parts 1 & 2 [Import]