Since the 1920s, American popular and musical culture has in large part been defined by a quest to break free from social, political, sexual, and religious norms. The early 20th-century countercultural movement that eventually gave way to the Beat Generation shared several interests with contemporary jazz musicians, notably the quest for religious and spiritual meaning beyond the prevailing Christian orthodoxy.

Jazz, Counterculture, and the Sacred explores the ways jazz musicians and composers such as Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Don Cherry, Alice Coltrane, Anthony Braxton, and Nicole Mitchell pursued a spiritual path in their works and lives. They were particularly intrigued by non-Western traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Ancient Egyptian culture, and Indigenous spirituality, as well as meditation and yoga. Author David Stephen Calonne illustrates how the unanimity of these interests among jazz musicians pointed to a seismic shift in American intellectual history, connecting their musical worlds to Beat writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Bob Kaufman, and Diane di Prima. Focusing on New York City and San Francisco, Calonne presents a thorough and enlightening study on the rich interplay between these artistic movements.