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Andrew Walker pretends to know things (about music, and life in general).

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For all of you who think that avant-garde jazz is worthless, check out “Out to Lunch” (1964) by Eric Dolphy. No other record that I can think of matches the sheer range of different timbres and styles of playing that these musicians manage to incorporate. In addition to Dolphy (who plays flute, bass clarinet, and alto saxophone on the album), Out to Lunch features such greats as Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, and Tony Williams. The first track (“Hat and Beard”) is a sprawling, nine-minute meditation on the work of Thelonious Monk, full of jagged rhythms and edgy harmonic structures. According to the original liner notes of the vinyl record, the final track (“Straight Up and Down”) is meant to suggest a drunken stagger. While not quite free jazz, this record certainly pushes the limits of jazz composition and conventional improvisation. Don’t be fooled into thinking of the soundscapes as chaotic- every note has its purpose.

For all of you who think that avant-garde jazz is worthless, check out “Out to Lunch” (1964) by Eric Dolphy. No other record that I can think of matches the sheer range of different timbres and styles of playing that these musicians manage to incorporate. In addition to Dolphy (who plays flute, bass clarinet, and alto saxophone on the album), Out to Lunch features such greats as Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, and Tony Williams. The first track (“Hat and Beard”) is a sprawling, nine-minute meditation on the work of Thelonious Monk, full of jagged rhythms and edgy harmonic structures. According to the original liner notes of the vinyl record, the final track (“Straight Up and Down”) is meant to suggest a drunken stagger. While not quite free jazz, this record certainly pushes the limits of jazz composition and conventional improvisation. Don’t be fooled into thinking of the soundscapes as chaotic- every note has its purpose.