Andrew Cyrille - In These Last Days
Andrew Cyrille is one of the great free jazz drummers. He got his break in the mid '60s when he joined Cecil Taylor's band, and since then has had a hand in many exciting and challenging projects. On his 1979 album Nuba he was joined by alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and by the great Jeanne Lee on vocals.

If you're one to immediately turn away at the thought of vocal jazz, I don't blame you for a moment. The majority of it is bland pop, and of the remainder, most of that is some abominable attempt at sophistication. (And then there's scat. We don't talk about the scat at Doklands.) That's never been the case with Jeanne Lee, and In These Last Days is very much her track. Her voice alternates between a warm baritone growl, and an airy, pinched wail, with Lyons' alto joining in with some uncanny duetting. Cyrille remains utterly mysterious throughout, providing fluttering, textural sounds. It's a great piece of free playing.

Andrew Cyrille - In These Last Days
(alternate download)