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