Dave Holland Quartet: Conference Of The Birds (1972 – ECM)

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 (Jazz Critic)

Track List:
1. Four Winds
2. Q & A
3. Conference Of The Birds
4. Interception
5. Now Here (Nowhere)
6. See ­ Saw

Personnel:
Dave Holland  (bass)
Sam Rivers  (reeds, flute)
Anthony Braxton  (reeds, flute)
Barry Altschul  (percussion, marimba)

Original Release Date: November 30, 1972  –  Label: ECM Records

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