| Alice Coltrane | |
|---|---|
 Alice Coltrane in 2006. Photo by Filipe Ferreira |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alice McLeod |
| Born | August 27, 1937 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Died | January 12, 2007 (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, avant-garde jazz |
| Occupations | Bandleader, composer, sideman |
| Instruments | Piano, organ, harp |
| Years active | 1962–2006 |
| Labels | Impulse! Columbia Warner Bros. Records |
| Associated acts | John Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, Flying Lotus |
| Website | Alicecoltrane.org |
Alice Coltrane, née McLeod (August 27, 1937 – January 12, 2007) was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Detroit Michigan, Coltrane studied classical music, and also jazz with Bud Powell in Paris, France where she worked as the intermission pianist at the Blue Note Club in 1960. It was there that she was broadcast on French television in a performance with Lucky Thompson, Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke.[1] She began playing jazz as a professional in Detroit, with her own trio and as a duo with vibist Terry Pollard. She married Kenny Hagood in 1960 and had a daughter (Michele) from that union. From 1962 to 1963 she played with Terry Gibbs's quartet, during which time she met John Coltrane. In 1965 they were married in Juárez, Mexico and in January, 1966 she replaced McCoy Tyner as pianist with John Coltrane's group. She subsequently recorded with him and continued playing with the band until his death on July 17, 1967. John Coltrane became stepfather to Alice's daughter Michele (Miki), and the couple had three children: drummer John Jr. (1964–1982), and DJ Oranyan (b. 1967) and saxophonist Ravi (b. 1965).
After her husband's death she continued to play with her own groups, later including her children, moving into more and more meditative music. She was one of the few harpists in the history of jazz and recorded many albums as a bandleader. Her essential recordings were made in the late 1960s and early 1970s for Impulse! Records.
Coltrane was a devotee of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba.[2] In 1972, she moved to California, where she established the Vedantic Center in 1975.[3] By the late 1970s she had changed her name to Turiyasangitananda.[4] Coltrane was the spiritual director, or swamini, of Shanti Anantam Ashram (later renamed Sai Anantam Ashram in Chumash Pradesh) which the Vedantic Center established in 1983 near Malibu, California.[5] On rare occasions, she continued to perform publicly under the name Alice Coltrane.[6][7]
The 1990s saw renewed interest in her work, which led to the release of the compilation Astral Meditations, and in 2004 she released her comeback album Translinear Light. Following a twenty-five-year break from major public performances, she returned to the stage for three U.S. appearances in the fall of 2006, culminating on November 4 with a concert for the San Francisco Jazz Festival with her son Ravi, drummer Roy Haynes, and bassist Charlie Haden.[7]
In 1994, Coltrane appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool.[8] The album, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in African American society was named "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
Alice Coltrane died of respiratory failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles. She is buried alongside her late husband John Coltrane in Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York.
Paul Weller dedicated his song "Song For Alice (Dedicated to the Beautiful Legacy of Mrs. Coltrane)," from his album 22 Dreams, to Coltrane; the track entitled "Alice" on Sunn O)))'s 2009 album Monoliths & Dimensions was similarly inspired. Electronic musician Flying Lotus is the grand-nephew of Alice Coltrane.
[edit] Discography
[edit] As a leader
- A Monastic Trio (Impulse!, 1967)
- Cosmic Music (Impulse!, 1966–68) with John Coltrane
- Huntington Ashram Monastery (Impulse!, 1969)
- Ptah, the El Daoud (Impulse!, 1970)
- Journey in Satchidananda (Impulse!, 1970)
- Universal Consciousness (Impulse!, 1972)
- World Galaxy (1972)
- Lord of Lords (1973)
- John Coltrane: Infinity (1973)
- Reflection on Creation and Space (a Five Year View) (1973)
- Illuminations (1974) with Carlos Santana
- Eternity (1975)
- Radha-Krisna Nama Sankirtana (1976)
- Transcendence (1977)
- Transfiguration (1978)
- Turiya Sings (1982)
- Divine Songs (1987)
- Infinite Chants (1990)
- Glorious Chants (1995)
- Priceless Jazz (1998)
- The Music of Alice Coltrane: Astral Meditations (1999)
- Translinear Light (2004)
- The Impulse Story (2006)
[edit] As a sideperson
With John Coltrane
- Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (Impulse!, 1966)
- Live in Japan (Impulse!, 1966 [1973])
- Stellar Regions (Impulse!, 1966)
- Expression (Impulse!, 1967)
- The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording (Impulse!, 1967)
With Terry Gibbs
- Terry Gibbs Plays Jewish Melodies in Jazztime (Mercury, 1963)
- Hootenanny My Way (Mercury, 1963)
- El Nutto (Limelight, 1964)
With Charlie Haden
- Closeness (Horizon, 1976)
With Joe Henderson
- The Elements (Milestone, 1973)
With McCoy Tyner
- Extensions (Blue Note, 1970)
[edit] References
- ^ "The Lucky Thompson Discography 1957–1974". http://www.attictoys.com/jazz/LT57-74.HTM. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ "Swamini A. C. Turiyasangitananda". Sai Anantam Ashram. http://www.saiquest.com/html/swamini.html. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Hazell, Ed. "Alice Coltrane", The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, ed. B. Kernfeld (London: Macmillan, 2002), i, 494.
- ^ Transfiguration (CD liner notes). Burbank, California: Sepiatone. 1978. STONE01. Coltrane wrote the liner notes as Turiyasangitananda. She had written liner notes as Turiya Aparna for Universal Consciousness (1971).
- ^ "Background". Sai Anantam Ashram. http://www.saiquest.com/html/background.html. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Biography at Allmusic
- ^ a b Alice Coltrane Quartet featuring Ravi Coltrane with Charlie Haden & Roy Haynes. SFJAZZ. Retrieved on May 25, 2007.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000083QR
9. ^ "My Life in E-flat" by Chan Parker
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Alice Coltrane at All About Jazz
- Alice Coltrane at Allmusic
- Alice Coltrane discography
- Alice Coltrane Playlist: Divine Ferocity
- In-depth Alice Coltrane obituary with a record-by-record overview of her career from NewYorkNightTrain.com
- Last Song For Alice Coltrane , The Indypendent, Steven Wishnia
- RBMA Radio On Demand - Sound Obsession - Volume 7 - Tribute to Alice Coltrane - Kirk Degiorgio (The Beauty Room, As One)
- Alice in Wonder and Awe. An interview at ascentmagazine.com on jazz, God and the spiritual path.
- Alice Coltrane at NPR Music
- Alice Coltrane in discussion with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
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