Universal Consciousness cover

Universal Consciousness

Released

Alice Coltrane’s writing for strings was unique; strongly influenced by Stravinsky, she created dramatic, sweeping effects and sudden, jarring accents. For much of this 1971 album, she plays Wurlitzer electric organ, with Jimmy Garrison on bass and several different drummers, and the strings flash through like lightning in the desert. The music reaches an ecstatic peak on the aptly titled “Battle At Armageddon,” a duo with Rashied Ali where her organ sears the air as he chops time up into gleaming shards.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Black Orpheus cover

Black Orpheus

Masabumi Kikuchi
Codebreaker cover

Codebreaker

Matthew Shipp
Momentum Space cover

Momentum Space

Elvin Jones, Cecil Taylor, Dewey Redman
Strata cover

Strata

Matthew Shipp
Sonic Fiction cover

Sonic Fiction

Matthew Shipp
Crumbling Brain cover

Crumbling Brain

Full Blast, Peter Brötzmann
Erta Ale cover

Erta Ale

Paal Nilssen-Love, Large Unit
European Concert, Vol. 1 cover

European Concert, Vol. 1

Modern Jazz Quartet