The Summer House Sessions CD

There are quite a number of inspired, unusual and hard-to-pigeonhole albums in Don Cherry's vast discography, though few are quite as freewheeling, mystical and hallucinatory as The Summer House Sessions. Recorded in 1968 but previously unissued, the album captures an impromptu, day-long session by trumpeter Cherry, jazz players from several Swedish bands, and a Turkish percussionist. The results, as showcased on the epic lead track of this CD (I.E the one that was primed for release but shelved), are thrillingly unearthly, mixing elements of free-jazz and spiritual jazz with Turkish rhythms, nods to Indian musical culture, and liberal use of reverb and delay. There's also a second disc featuring a quartet of other equally freestyle improvisations recorded during the same session.