liontime
This album is one that is loved by those who know it and yet it remains virtually unknown to the contemporary jazz community at large. It has somehow been buried deep in the large stack of great, classic jazz records. But I want to try to file this one a little higher up in that pile.
It was released in 1966, an astonishingly great year for music in many genres. It has its moments of surreal experimentation ('Thoughts,' mainly), but generally stays groovy and direct. Hamilton works beautifully with Richard Davis to produce a thumpin', psychedelic rhythm section that is unlike any other. Larry Coryell makes his recording debut on this album and he does some astonishing work on the tracks that he's on. The solos throughout the album are both parts challenging and fun.
This album is one of those albums that's so fun to listen to that it almost feels like a guilty pleasure. But there's plenty of challenging, masterful work in here to satisfy any technical or cerebral listener.