Contours (album)

Contours
Studio album by Sam Rivers
Released	January 1967[1]
Recorded	May 21, 1965 Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs
Genre	Jazz
Length	40:08
Label	Blue Note BST 84206
Producer	Alfred Lion
Sam Rivers chronology
Fuchsia Swing Song (1964) Contours (1965) A New Conception (1965)

Contours is the second album by American saxophonist Sam Rivers recorded in 1965 and released on the Blue Note label.^[2] The CD reissue contains an alternate take as a bonus track.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album 5 stars and stated "On Contours, his second Blue Note album, tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers fully embraced the avant-garde, but presented his music in a way that wouldn't be upsetting or confusing to hard bop loyalists... Rarely is Contours anything less than enthralling, and it remains one of the high watermarks of the mid-'60s avant-garde movement".^[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam Rivers

1. "Point of Many Returns" - 9:20
2. "Dance of the Tripedal" - 10:07
3. "Euterpe" - 11:43
4. "Mellifluous Cacophony" - 8:58
5. "Mellifluous Cacophony" [Alternate Take] - 9:04 Bonus track on CD reissue

Personnel

• Sam Rivers - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
• Freddie Hubbard - trumpet
• Herbie Hancock - piano
• Ron Carter - bass
• Joe Chambers - drums

References

1. Billboard Jan 28, 1967
2. Blue Note Records discography accessed November 22, 2010
3. Erlewine, S. T. Allmusic Review accessed November 22, 2010
4. Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 168. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.