Alice Coltrane keeps the spirit of John Coltrane alive on her previously unissued 1971 Carnegie Hall Concert.
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert (Impulse, 2024)
This is an extraordinary live concert which took more than 50 years to be released. It is Alice Coltrane leading a band of the absolute best jazz musicians of the era performing her own music and that of her late husband’s John Coltrane.
The surprise performance is a live version of John Coltrane’s “Africa” which he recorded an orchestral studio version of in 1961. The 1971 live version features saxophonists Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders, both close collaborators to John Coltrane, soloing in contrasting styles. Shepp has more of a raw blues sound while Sanders plays more ecstatic overtones.
They are backed by Alice Coltrane on piano. Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee on basses, and Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis on drums. Using two bassists or drummers to create more dense rhythms was something Coltrane had explored on albums like Africa / Brass (1961) and Meditations (1966).
An important recording
The band also plays an extended version of “Leo” which was a part of John Coltrane’s repertoire when he led a quintet with Alice Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Rashid Ali. A 1966 live version by that band can be heard on John Coltrane live in Japan. Alice Coltrane plays a long lyrical solo very reminiscent of previous recorded version. The difference lies in drummer Ed Blackwell who is best known for his work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. He plays with a lot more swing than the freer Ali which can be heard on his extended solo.
The concert starts with Alice Coltrane performing live versions of her own recently recorded compositions “Journey in Satchidananda” and “Shiva-Loka.” They are more meditative and lyrical than the powerful “Africa” and the hectic “Leo,” and they add Kumar Kramer and Tulsa Reynolds on harmonium and tabla which gives the music a distinct Indian flavour. Alice Coltrane plays the harp, Sanders the flute and soprano saxophone, and the rhythm section plays an infectious grove.
Alice Coltrane is well-documented on albums during this period playing her own compositions and the ones by John Coltrane, but this live album is of such high quality that it adds substantially to that body of work. Recent years have seen several posthumous releases by Alice Coltrane. This is by far the best and most important.
Jazz Desk 