Alice Coltrane

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Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane on the Cover of Journey in Satchidananda, 1970
Alice Coltrane on the Cover of Journey in Satchidananda, 1970
Background information
Birth name Alice McLeod
Born August 27, 1937, Flag of United States Detroit, Michigan
Died January 12, 2007, Flag of United States Los Angeles, California
Genre(s) Jazz, avant-garde jazz
Occupation(s) bandleader, composer, sideman
Instrument(s) piano, organ, harp
Years active 1962–2006
Label(s) Impulse!
Columbia
Associated
acts		 John Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders
Website http://www.alicecoltrane.org/

Alice Coltrane, born Alice McLeod (August 27, 1937–January 12, 2007) was an American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Coltrane studied classical music, and was given piano lessons by Bud Powell. She began playing jazz as a professional in Detroit, with her own trio and as a duo with vibist Terry Pollard. From 1962 to 1963 she played with Terry Gibbs's quartet, during which time she met John Coltrane. She replaced McCoy Tyner as pianist with his group from 1965 until his death in 1967, marrying him in 1966. John became step-father to Alice's daughter Michelle, and the couple had three children: drummer John Jr., and saxophonists Oran and Ravi. John Jr. died in a car crash in 1982.

After her husband's death she continued to play with her own groups, moving into more and more meditative music, and later playing with her children. She was one of the few harpists in the history of jazz. Her essential recordings were made in the late 1960s and early 1970s for Impulse! Records.

In the early 1970s, after years of involvement with Vedanta,[1] Coltrane took the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda. She was a devotee of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba.[2] Heavily influenced by his teachings and the philosophies of Hinduism, Coltrane established Shanti Anantam Ashram, the Vedantic Center near Malibu, California.[3] On rare occasions, she continued to perform publicly under the name Alice Coltrane.[citation needed]

In the 1990s new interest was shown 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 in San Francisco with her son Ravi, drummer Roy Haynes, and bassist Charlie Haden.

Alice Coltrane died of respiratory failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles. Reportedly she had been in frail health for some time before her death.

Contents

[edit] Solo-album discography

[edit] Collaborations

[edit] Compilations

  • The Music of Alice Coltrane: Astral Meditations (1999)
  • The Impulse Story (2006)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Coltrane/Turiyasangitananda's personal testimony
  2. ^ Personal tribute to Sathya sai Baba on Coltrane/Turiyasangitananda's official website.
  3. ^ The history of Shanti Anantam Ashram.

[edit] External links

Sathya Sai Baba
v • d • e
Shirdi Sai Baba · Prema Sai Baba ·Sathya Sai Baba Movement · Sathya Sai Organisation · Sri Sathya Sai University
Other related articles
Bibliography · Prashanthi Nilayam · Puttaparthi · Sai Global Harmony · Sanathana Sarathi ·Shrinivas Sugandhalaya
Followers
Bill Aitken · Vladimir Antonov · Joan Brown · Alice Coltrane · Maynard Ferguson · Dana Gillespie · Erlendur Haraldsson · Abdul Kalam · Narayana Kasturi · Girija Prasad Koirala · Howard Murphet · P. V. Narasimha Rao · Arnold Schulman · Isaac Tigrett · Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Critics
Tal Brooke · Abraham Kovoor · H. Narasimhaiah · Basava Premanand · Robert Priddy
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