New Conditions is an album by composer Graham Collier that was originally released on his own Mosaic label in 1976.
Collier has composed a mirror image of traditional jazz charts: this is all freely improvised, with certain scored 'interruptions' for the ensemble.
The 'free flow' at the heart of the conceptualization of this work feels hackneyed, as clearly not all of the musicians here are 'free' improvisers.
"[3] On All About Jazz, Nic Jones noted: "New Conditions is a particularly apposite title ... Collier is still playing bass but it's clear that his music's evolution is in a sense altering his own status within it.
Even in the introduction, it's apparent that elements of the free are assuming a higher profile, but it's clear too that the way in which Collier is marshalling the larger ensemble heralds the music still to come, and not merely in terms of the overall conception of the album.