The Holy Mountain is a seminal surrealist film and is accompanied by one of the most ethereal pieces recorded by Don Cherry in his career. Once again it can be enjoyed through a superb new reissue.

Cherry is one of the spiritual jazz geniuses of our world and his contribution to this soundtrack is one of majestic beauty and ethereal delight. The film The Holy Mountain was created by Chilean-born director, Alejandro Jodorowsky and is a surreal, mind bending story that critiques capitalism and spiritualism with bizarre scenes of ceremony and debauchery.

The filmmaker has been linked to musicians such as Peter Gabriel, who asked him to write and direct a short film for the concept album, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. John Lennon and Yoko Ono championed Jodorowsky’s film El Topo at their short film festival, after jazz producer Alan Douglas bought the rights. Recently, Kanye West has been describing the Chilean filmmaker as a genius and used The Holy Mountain as inspiration for designing his Yeezus tour and even Marilyn Manson has attempted to collaborate.

The notes to this gatefold album, beautifully presented by Real Gone Music, reveal more anecdotes and tales about this extraordinary film and score. A former porn-movie-soundtrack producer, Ron Frangipane, helped conduct the orchestra alongside Jodorowsky. There were Arica group leaders giving Mongolian massages to cast members with a wooden spoon and a chimpanzee on set.

As for Cherry, Jodorowsky remembers that he played a trumpet with a bell on it and lived in a house decorated entirely with scrap objects: “He was like an alien. Cherry arrived on set with 100 musicians.” Here is a scene featuring Cherry’s masterpiece Tarot Will Teach You/Burn Your Money

Another of Jodorowsky’s classic films is Santa Sangre, a freak show of circus performers, street hoodlums and outcasts. 

The opener in the Santa Sangre trailer is Perez Prado, for another of his from the 1956 film Cha Cha Boom, click here

Also on the Santa Sangre soundtrack is the Mexican pianist and songwriter Consuelo Velacruez – click here