Recorded in 1966 and released by Blue Note Records in August of 1967, Don Cherry's Symphony for Improvisers features Gato Barbieri, Henry Grimes, and Ed Blackwell, all of whom had appeared on Cherry's previous album Complete Communion. Also featured are Karl Berger, Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark, and Pharoah Sanders. The album received a rating of *½ on AllMusic, with reviewer Steve Huey stating that, "Even though the album is full of passionate fireworks, there's also a great deal of subtlety. Feverish but well-channeled, this larger-group session is probably Cherry's most gratifying for Blue Note."