Composed by drummer Joe Chambers, 'Ankara' draws its title from Turkey's capital—a nod to jazz's enduring tradition of evoking exotic locales through place names, much like Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' or the album's own meditative closer, 'Nocturnal.' The piece features Hutcherson's characteristically bright vibraphone alongside James Spaulding's alto saxophone and flute, with Stanley Cowell's piano, Reggie Workman's bass, and Chambers' drums creating an intricate rhythmic tapestry.
The track embodies the album's mature sensibility, balancing moments of melancholy with passages of intense interplay. Recorded at Van Gelder Studio on March 14, 1968, but not released until 1980, Patterns represents a body of work ahead of its time—sophisticated, harmonically adventurous, and deeply exploratory. 'Ankara' exemplifies this approach, using rhythm and harmony to conjure an urban energy rather than literal geographic depiction, inviting listeners into Chambers' vision of rhythmic and melodic possibility.
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