Alice Coltrane Appreciation Thread

It looks like Impulse/Universal will be reissuing "World Galaxy" on vinyl this Friday (02/12/2016):

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/112098/Alice_Coltrane-World_Galaxy-Vinyl_Record

 

Great album! Her rendition of Favorite Things is one of the spaciest and heaviest jams I've heard. I wonder about the source for this reissue?

The Journey In Satchidananda reissue from several years ago is good, but doesn't have the magic of the original. But it's nice that it can be found for about $12-15, so it serves as a good introduction for new fans.

 

Necro'ing this thread to see if anyone can comment on the best way to go for digital releases with Alice's work, and which of the early 70's Alice albums to pickup. Liking Ptah the El Daoud and Satchidananda so far...

 

Seconded...

 

I'm particularly keen to get Ptah, The El Daoud on vinyl, but I never come across any. It stands up to hubby's efforts, it's that good.

 

I think Alice Coltrane's discography would be well served by a complete collected album discography box set.

 

It would be very nice to have a "complete" box of her Impulse albums, including "Translinear Light" (never before on vinyl) and the album she supposedly was working on before her untimely passing...

 

There's an excellent, lengthy article in Pitchfork on the 10th anniversary of her passing (January 12, 2007).

Transfiguration and Transcendence: The Music of Alice Coltrane | Pitchfork »

 

As a Pharoah Sanders fan, I am curently obsessed with this song:

Tambura rules!

 

If you like Sanders, then you will also want this:

 

Don't know anything about that pressing, but as others have noted, the album itself is nothing short of indispensable.

 

this is where I usually advise interested people to begin with Alice unless they're dabbling hard bop/Dolphy heads (monastic trio) or really into free jazz (universal consciousness).

other than those folks, this is the one. ptah is incredibly accessible, even to casual music listeners.

 

Indeed, and, as further proof:

 

This seems like an interesting Alice Coltrane project forthcoming from Luaka Bop. I know there was a German label that released "Turiya Sings" on CD and vinyl in 2015 and the sound was horrible on both (and coming from me with my tin ears, that's really saying something!).

World Spirituality Classics 1:The Ecstatic Music of « LUAKA BOP



1. Om Rama – 9:39
2. Om Shanti – 6:52
3. Rama Rama – 7:35
4. Rama Guru – 5:52
5. Hari Narayan – 4:38
6. Journey in Satchidananda – 10:53
7. Er Ra – 5:00
8. Keshava Murahara – 9:43
9. Krishna Japaye* – 5:31
10. Rama Katha* – 11:40

*Vinyl Only

Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s devotion to spirituality was the central purpose of the final four decades of her life, an often-overlooked awakening that largely took shape during her four-year marriage to John Coltrane and after his 1967 death. By 1983, Alice had established the 48-acre Sai Anantam Ashram outside of Los Angeles. She quietly began recording music from the ashram, releasing it within her spiritual community in the form of private press cassette tapes. On May 5, Luaka Bop will release the first-ever compilation of recordings from this period, making these songs available to the wider public for the first time. Entitled ‘World Spirituality Classics, Volume 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda,’ the release is the first installment in a planned series of spiritual music from around the globe; curated, compiled and distributed by Luaka Bop.

This powerful, largely unheard body of work finds Alice singing for the first time in her recorded catalog, which dates back to 1963 and includes appearances on six John Coltrane albums, alongside Charlie Haden and McCoy Tyner, and 14 albums as bandleader starting with her Impulse! debut in 1967 with ‘A Monastic Trio.’ The songs featured on the Luaka Bop release have been culled from the four cassettes that Alice recorded and released between 1982 and 1995: ‘Turiya Sings,’ ‘Divine Songs,’ ‘Infinite Chants,’ and ‘Glorious Chants.’ The digital, cassette and CD release will feature eight songs. The double-vinyl edition features two additional songs, “Krishna Japaye” from 1990’s ‘Infinite Chants, and the previously unreleased “Rama Katha” from a separate ‘Turiya Sings’ recording session.

Luaka Bop teamed with Alice’s children to find the original master tapes in the Coltrane archive. The recordings were prepared for re-mastering by the legendary engineer Baker Bigsby (Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, John Coltrane), who had overseen the original sessions in the 80s and 90s. The compilation showcases a diverse array of recordings in addition to Alice’s first vocal work: solo performances on her harp, small ensembles, and a 24-piece vocal choir. The release is dotted with eastern percussion, synthesizers, organs and strings, making for a mesmerizing, even otherworldly, listen. Alice was inspired by Vedic devotional songs from India and Nepal, adding her own music sensibility to the mix with original melodies and sophisticated song structures. She never lost her ability to draw from the bebop, blues and old-time spirituals of her Detroit youth, fusing a Western upbringing with Eastern classicism. In all, these recordings amount to a largely untold chapter in the life story of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda.

In addition to the recordings, GRAMMY-winning music historian Ashley Kahn has written extensive liner notes on the collection. The package also includes a series of interviews with those who knew Alice best, conducted by Dublab’s Mark “Frosty” McNeill, and an as-told-to interview between musician Surya Botofasina (who was raised on Alice’s ashram) and journalist Andy Beta. 2017 marks what would have been Alice’s 80th year of life, as well as the 10th anniversary of her passing. Alice will be celebrated at events throughout the United States, Europe and South America in the coming year. With this in mind, the time is right to bring this meaningful piece of Turiyasangitananda’s legacy into focus.

 

Thanks to gort @DLant for combining two of the open Alice Coltrane threads into one. I thought it would be good to have one place to discuss her music, reissues, etc. So cool to find other fans online here!

 

Here's the short video clip from the press release of the Luaka Bop release:

 

Thanks for sharing. Preordered the vinyl!

 

Pretty much the same information, but good for a bump!

A compilation of Alice Coltrane's ashram recordings to be released by Luaka Bop - The Wire

 

Here's a recent BBC Radio Program:

BBC Radio 3 - Sunday Feature, Alice Coltrane: Her Sound and Spirit

 

I just finished listening to the program and it's terrific. It's nice to see Alice get some recognition for being such a brilliant musician.

 

Here's some more information about the forthcoming release, along with another song on SoundCloud:

Listen to Rare Alice Coltrane Song From Compilation Featuring Flying Lotus Liner Notes | Pitchfork

 

Did anyone get either of the Alice Coltrane RSD items? There was a 7" from Luaka Bop and a one-sided 10".

 

I didn't see the Alice Coltrane anywhere yesterday, but for some reason I thought it was a teaser for an upcoming album, so it wasn't a huge priority.

 

My mistake -- the 7" was released back in March for the Come Together Record Fair.



The RSD item is a harp improvisation on a one-sided 10", which has nothing to do with the upcoming Luaka Bop release:



Alice Coltrane
Harp Improvisations
(Moochin’ About)

With her devotional music set for release on Luaka Bop, now’s the time to buff up on rare Alice Coltrane recordings, and this live unreleased 9 minute solo harp improvisation recorded in Poland in 1987 is the perfect way to start. Spiritual jazz on 10″ with an etched lotus flower B side.

 

Gotcha. Didn't see the 10" yesterday, sadly enough.