Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

name Turiyasangitananda, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician and composer, and in her later years a

swami Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eit ...

ni. An accomplished pianist and one of the few harpists in the history of jazz, she recorded many albums as a bandleader, beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s for

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

and other record labels. She was married to jazz saxophonist and composer

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, with whom she performed in 1966–1967. One of the foremost exponents of

spiritual jazz Spiritual jazz (or astral jazz) is a sub-genre of jazz that originated in the United States during the 1960s. The genre is hard to characterize musically but draws from free, avant-garde and modal jazz and thematically focuses on transcendence ...

, her eclectic music proved widely influential both within and outside the world of jazz. Coltrane's professional music career slowed from the mid 1970s as she became more dedicated to her religious education. She founded the

Vedantic ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

Center in 1975 and the Shanti Anantam Ashram in California in 1983, where she served as spiritual director. On July 3, 1994, Swamini rededicated and inaugurated the land as
Sai Anantam Ashram
'' During the 1980s and 1990s, she recorded several albums of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

devotional songs A devotional song is a hymn that accompanies religious observances and rituals. Traditionally devotional music has been a part of Hindu music, Jewish music, Buddhist music, Islamic music and Christian music. Each major religion has its own tra ...

before returning to jazz in the 2000s.

Biography

Early life and career (1937–1965)

Coltrane was born Alice McLeod on August 27, 1937, in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, and grew up in a musical household. Her mother, Anna McLeod, was a member of the choir at her church; her half-brother, Ernest Farrow, became a jazz bassist; and her younger sister,

Marilyn McLeod Marilyn McLeod (May 27, 1939 – November 24, 2021) was an American songwriter and occasional singer. McLeod began her career as a songwriter for Motown. Together with Pam Sawyer, she wrote the 1976 Diana Ross hit "Love Hangover". Early life Mc ...

, became a songwriter at Motown. With the encouragement of her father, Alice McLeod pursued music and started to perform in various clubs around Detroit, until moving to Paris in the late 1950s. She studied classical music, and also jazz with Bud Powell in Paris, where she worked as the intermission pianist at the Blue Note Jazz Club in 1960. It was there that McLeod appeared on French television in a performance with

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

Pierre Michelot Pierre Michelot (3 March 1928 – 3 July 2005) was a French jazz double bass player and arranger. Early life Michelot was born in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris on 3 March 1928. He studied piano from 1936 until 1938. He switched to playin ...

and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

. She married Kenny "Pancho" Hagood in 1960 and had a daughter with him. The marriage ended soon after, on account of Hagood's developing heroin addiction, and McLeod was forced to return to Detroit with her daughter. She continued playing jazz as a professional in Detroit, with her own trio and as a duo with

vibraphonist The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

Terry Pollard Terry Pollard (August 15, 1931 – December 16, 2009) was an American jazz pianist and vibraphonist active in the Detroit jazz scene of the 1940s and 1950s. She has been described as a "major player who was inexplicably overlooked." Pollard began ...

. In 1962–63, she played with

Terry Gibbs Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader. He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. R ...

' quartet, during which time she met

. In 1965, they married in Juárez, Mexico. John Coltrane became stepfather to Alice Coltrane's daughter Michelle, and the couple had three children together: John Jr. (1964, a bassist who died in a car accident in 1982);

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...

(b. 1965, a saxophonist); and Oranyan (b. 1967, a DJ). Oranyan later played saxophone with

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

for a period of time.

Solo work (1967–1978)

Alice and John's growing involvement in spirituality influenced some of John's compositions and projects, such as ''

A Love Supreme ''A Love Supreme'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. He recorded it in one session on December 9, 1964, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, leading a quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy ...

''. In January 1966, Alice Coltrane replaced

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

as pianist with John Coltrane's group. She subsequently recorded with him and continued playing with the band until John's death on July 17, 1967. After her husband's death, she continued to forward the musical and spiritual vision, and started to release records as a composer and bandleader. Her first album, ''

A Monastic Trio ''A Monastic Trio'' is the first solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded in 1968 at the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, New York, and was released later that year by Impulse! Records. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is ...

'', was recorded in 1967. From 1968 to 1977, she released thirteen full-length records. As the years passed, her musical direction moved further from standard jazz into the more cosmic, spiritual world. Albums like ''

Universal Consciousness ''Universal Consciousness'' is the fifth solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded from April to June, 1971, in New York City and at the John Coltrane Home, Coltrane home studios in Dix Hills, New York, and was released later that year by Impul ...

'' (1971), and ''

World Galaxy ''World Galaxy'' is the sixth solo album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded in November 1971 in New York City, and was released in 1972 by Impulse! Records. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano, organ, harp, tamboura, and percussion, and is join ...

'' (1972), show a progression from a four-piece lineup to a more orchestral approach, with lush string arrangements and cascading harps. Until 1973, she released music with

Impulse! Records Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, the jazz label for which her husband recorded. From 1973 to 1978, she released primarily on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

until she stepped away from the public eye.

Ashram years (1975–1995)

After the death of her husband, Coltrane experienced a period of trial. She suffered from severe weight loss and sleepless nights, as well as hallucinations. This ''tapas'' (a Sanskrit term she used to describe her suffering), led her to seek Hindu spiritual guidance from the guru

Swami Satchidananda Satchidananda Saraswati (; 22 December 1914 – 19 August 2002), born C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder and usually known as Swami Satchidananda, was an Indian yoga guru Modern yoga gurus are people widely acknowledged to be gurus of modern yoga in a ...

and later from Sathya Sai Baba. By 1972, she abandoned her secular life, and moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, where she established the

Center in 1975. By the late 1970s, she had changed her name to Turiyasangitananda. She was the spiritual director, or

ni, of Shanti Anantam Ashram (later renamed Sai Anantam Ashram in Chumash Pradesh) which the Vedantic Center established in 1983 near Malibu, California. Alice would perform formal and informal devotional Vedic ceremonies at the ashram. She performed solo chants, known as bhajans, and group chants, or kirtans. She developed original melodies from the traditional chants, and started to experiment by including synthesizers and sophisticated song structures. This culminated in her first spiritual cassette, ''

Turiya Sings ''Turiya Sings'' is an album by Alice Coltrane, recorded in 1981 during a marathon fifteen-hour session, and initially released in 1982 on privately-pressed cassette for her Vedantic Center's students. The album features recordings of devotional ...

'', in 1982. The cassette was released only to the members of the ashram, through her publishing company, the Avatar Book Institute. Through the mid 1980s into the mid 1990s, she released three more cassettes, '' Divine Songs'' in 1987, ''Infinite Chants'' in 1990, and ''Glorious Chants'' in 1995. New York-based label

Luaka Bop Luaka Bop is a New York–based record label founded by musician David Byrne, former lead singer and guitarist for the art rock– new wave band Talking Heads. What began with Byrne making cassettes of his favorite Tropicália tracks for his fri ...

released a compilation of tracks from her ashram tapes as ''World Spirituality Classics 1:

The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda ''The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda'' is a compilation album by Alice Coltrane. The music was drawn from the master tapes of four recordings that had been previously released on cassette in limited quantities for members of th ...

'' in May 2017. The ashram was destroyed in the 2018

Woolsey Fire The Woolsey Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the U.S. state of California. The fire ignited on November 8, 2018, and burned of land. The fire destroyed 1,643 structures, killed three people, and prompted th ...

Later years and death (1995–2007)

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 ''Translinear Light'' is the final studio album by American jazz pianist Alice Coltrane, released in September, 2004 on Impulse Records. It was produced by her son Ravi Coltrane, who also played saxophone for the album as did her third son Oran. I ...

''. Following a 25-year break from major public performances, she returned to the stage for three U.S. appearances in the fall of 2006, including a concert at Ann Arbor's

Hill Auditorium Hill Auditorium is the largest performance venue on the University of Michigan campus, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The auditorium was named in honor of Arthur Hill (1847-1909), who served as a regent of the university from 1901 to 1909. He bequeath ...

presented by University Musical Society of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

on September 23, which would have been

's 80th birthday, and culminating on November 4 with a concert for the

San Francisco Jazz Festival San Francisco Jazz Festival is an annual three-week music festival produced by SFJAZZ, a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz and jazz education. Notable performers 1995 Jack DeJohnette, Keith Jarrett, Christian McBride, Charles McPherson ...

with her son Ravi, drummer

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

, and bassist

Charlie Haden Charles Edward Haden (August 6, 1937 – July 11, 2014) was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. In the late 1950s, he was an original member of the ground-breaking ...

. Alice Coltrane died of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles in 2007, aged 69. She is buried alongside John Coltrane in Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York.

Impact

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul mu ...

dedicated his song "Song for Alice (Dedicated to the Beautiful Legacy of Mrs. Coltrane)", from his 2008 album '' 22 Dreams'', to Coltrane; the track titled "Alice" on Sunn O)))'s 2009 album ''

Monoliths & Dimensions ''Monoliths & Dimensions'' is the sixth studio album by drone metal band Sunn O))). The album was created and recorded over a period of two years and features the collaborations of composer Eyvind Kang, Australian guitar player Oren Ambarchi, Hun ...

'' was similarly inspired. Electronic musician Steve "Flying Lotus" Ellison is the grand nephew of Alice Coltrane. On his 2010 album ''

Cosmogramma ''Cosmogramma'' is the third studio album by American music producer Steven Ellison as Flying Lotus, released by Warp Records on May 3, 2010. Recording sessions began in October 2008 in Ellison's apartment in Los Angeles, immediately following h ...

'', he paid tribute to Coltrane in the form of a song titled "Drips//Auntie's Harp", in which he sampled her harp from the track "Blue Nile", featured on the album '' Ptah, the El Daoud'' (1970). The song "That Alice" on Laura Veirs' album ''

Warp and Weft Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is drawn ...

'' is about Coltrane. Orange Cake Mix included a song entitled "Alice Coltrane" on their 1997 LP Silver Lining Underwater. Poet giovanni singleton's book ''Ascension'' includes 49 poems written daily after Alice Coltrane's death.

Cauleen Smith Cauleen Smith (born September 25, 1967) is an American born filmmaker and multimedia artist. She is best known for her experimental works that address the African-American identity, specifically the issues facing black women today. Smith is bes ...

's conceptual art exhibition ''Give It or Leave It'' featured two films, "Pilgrim" (2017) and "Sojourner" (2018), exploring Alice Coltrane's music and ashram. Alice Coltrane was among hundreds of artists whose master recordings were destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Discography

As leader

Studio and live albums * ''

'' (

, 1968) * '' Huntington Ashram Monastery'' (Impulse!, 1969) * '' Ptah, the El Daoud'' (Impulse!, 1970) * ''

Journey in Satchidananda ''Journey in Satchidananda'' is the fourth solo album by Alice Coltrane. Four of the album's tracks were recorded at the Coltrane home studios in Dix Hills, New York, in November 1970, while the remaining track was recorded live at the Village Gat ...

'' (Impulse!, 1971) * ''

'' (Impulse!, 1972) * '' Lord of Lords'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''

Illuminations Illuminations may refer to: Shows and festivals * IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a nightly fireworks show currently at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort *'' IllumiNations'', original nightly firework show at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resor ...

'' (Columbia, 1974) with Carlos Santana * ''

Eternity Eternity, in common parlance, means infinite time that never ends or the quality, condition, or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside time, whereas sempit ...

'' (

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, 1976) * '' Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * '' Transcendence'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * '' Transfiguration'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * ''

'' (Avatar Book Institute, 1982; reissued by Impulse!/Verve/UMe/Universal, 2021) * '' Divine Songs'' (Avatar, 1987) * ''Infinite Chants'' (Avatar, 1990) * ''Glorious Chants'' (Avatar, 1995) * ''

'' (Impulse!, 2004) * ''

Carnegie Hall '71 ''Carnegie Hall '71'' is a live album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 21, 1971, and was released in 2018 by the Hi Hat label. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is joined by saxop ...

'' (Hi Hat, 2018) also released as ''Live at Carnegie Hall, 1971'' * '' Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972'' (BCT, 2019) * ''Kirtan:Turiya Sings'' (Impulse!/Verve/UMe/Universal, 2021; different mixes of

discovered by Ravi Coltrane in 2004) Compilations * ''Reflection on Creation and Space (a Five Year View)'' (Impulse!, 1973) * ''Priceless Jazz Collection'' ( GRP, 1998) * ''Astral Meditations'' (Impulse!, 1999) * ''The Impulse Story'' (Impulse!, 2006) * ''Universal Consciousness / Lord of Lords'' (Impulse!, 2011) * ''Huntington Ashram Monastery/World Galaxy'' (Impulse!, 2011) * ''World Spiritual Classics: Volume I:

'' (Luaka Bop, 2017) * ''Spiritual Eternal: The Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings'' (Real Gone Music 2018)

As co-leader

* ''

Cosmic Music ''Cosmic Music'' is a jazz album by John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane released after John Coltrane's death. John Coltrane only plays on two tracks, "Manifestation" and "Reverend King". Background In late January 1966, Coltrane and his group, which ...

'' (Impulse!, 1966–1968) with

As sidewoman

With

* '' Live at the Village Vanguard Again!'' (Impulse!, 1966) * '' Live in Japan'' (Impulse!, 1966; released 1973) * '' Offering: Live at Temple University'' (Resonance, 1966; released 2014) * '' Stellar Regions'' (Impulse!, 1967; released 1995) * ''

Expression Expression may refer to: Linguistics * Expression (linguistics), a word, phrase, or sentence * Fixed expression, a form of words with a specific meaning * Idiom, a type of fixed expression * Metaphorical expression, a particular word, phrase, o ...

'' (Impulse!, 1967) * '' The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording'' (Impulse!, 1967; released 2001) * '' Infinity'' (Impulse!, 1972) With

* '' Terry Gibbs Plays Jewish Melodies in Jazztime'' ( Mercury, 1963) * ''Hootenanny My Way'' (Mercury, 1963) * ''El Nutto'' ( Limelight, 1964) With

Roland Kirk Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

* '' Left & Right'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1968) With

* ''

Extensions Extension, extend or extended may refer to: Mathematics Logic or set theory * Axiom of extensionality * Extensible cardinal * Extension (model theory) * Extension (predicate logic), the set of tuples of values that satisfy the predicate * E ...

'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1970) With Joe Henderson * '' The Elements'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

, 1973) With

* '' Closeness'' ( Horizon, 1976) With Various Artists * '' Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool'' (GRP, 1994)

References

External links

* * *
The Vedantic Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coltrane, Alice African-American women composers African-American jazz composers American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians African-American jazz pianists Jazz harpists American jazz harpists American jazz organists Modal jazz pianists Women jazz pianists Kirtan performers 1937 births 2007 deaths Jazz musicians from Michigan Musicians from Detroit Cass Technical High School alumni Followers of Sathya Sai Baba Deaths from respiratory failure Impulse! Records artists Warner Records artists Women organists 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American composers 21st-century American keyboardists Jazz musicians from Alabama 20th-century women composers American Hindus Converts to Hinduism from Christianity African-American women musicians Spiritual jazz musicians 20th-century women pianists

Biography

Early life and career (1937–1965)

Solo work (1967–1978)

Ashram years (1975–1995)

Later years and death (1995–2007)

Impact

Discography

As leader

As co-leader

As sidewoman

See also

References

External links