Andrew Hill: Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1965)

Hill was, all by himself, a whole strain of the avant-garde. But this March 1964 session is most remarkable for the team of fellow travelers Hill recruited. Top of the heap are multi-reedist Eric Dolphy and drummer Tony Williams, both then the talk of the jazz world. They join trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Richard Davis, and Hill to assay splendid compositions like “Refuge” and the multipart “Spectrum.” It still sounds like the future. MICHAEL J. WEST

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