Dave's Conference About His Masterpiece.

One of my favorite Jazz albums I tell people to listen to is Conference of the Birds by Dave Holland. I mention this one is because it's not only a great album, but includes Anthony Braxton. It is also an early example of how ECM records changed on how we listen or buy music. In the early years at ECM they were more forward thinking then most labels. They also took chances that not many people would do. Dave Holland was fresh from playing with Miles Davis electric stuff and decided to forgo the electric bass route. He was new to the ECM record label, and he was open to some of the most unusual, and Avant-Garde music.

Dave Holland's debut as a leader, Conference of the Birds, doesn't seem to get its proper due outside of avant-garde circles; perhaps, when discussing the greats, Holland's name simply doesn't spring to mind as immediately. Whatever the case, Conference of the Birds is one of the all-time avant-garde jazz classics, incorporating a wide spectrum of '60s innovations. Part of the reason it works so well is the one-time-only team-up of two avant-garde legends: the fiery, passionate Sam Rivers and the cerebral Anthony Braxton; they complement and contrast one another in energizing fashion throughout. (AM) Each person shares the spotlight on this album. It's not all Dave Holland. It's Braxton, Rivers and Barry Altschul who equally add more colour then anything.



I am not sure how I stumbled upon this, but I knew right away this was a keeper. Since being a fan of Dave Holland I buy everything he has put out. I even studied his playing in college with the a friend who shares the same love as myself. My friend is an upright bass player and he told me that when he was learning to play upright he wanted to model himself after Dave Holland. I told him my love for this album and he told me that since the album flies in the Avant-Garde, the music is tough to play. It may seem simple bass playing, but in matter of fact it is very hard.

It takes may take a lot to grow on this album but the reward is hearing some of the best musicians of their time put so much effort in making it perfect. Some songs are a far cry of what you would hear in a song, but others such as the title song really show how rich and great they are. If you think it's a tough listen you should just break it down and hear the really skilled Barry and Dave keeping them in the reins and the driver of this album.

The title alone comes from a more intelligent person then the simple. The title comes from the poem by Farid-Ud-Din Attar and the quest for enlightenment. It really does show something with how much enlightenment this can do for any music fan. This album is a basic requirement for any avant-garde jazz collection, and it's also one of the most varied and accessible introductions to the style one could hope for. Enjoy a great album from 1972.