Alice Coltrane Eternity

When the great saxophonist John Coltrane died in 1967, he had opened up the world of meaning of jazz far into the spiritual ("A Love Supreme", "Ascension", "Meditations", etc.). His widow and last pianist continued right there. Alice Coltrane (1937-2007) strove for "cosmic sounds, higher dimensions, astral planes" with her music – she became an important influence on the spiritualized, esoteric music scene of the 1970s. Their first album was not released until after John Coltrane's death, but "Eternity" was her tenth in 1975. (That same year, she opened a Hindu Vedantic Center in California.)
The album draws its power from completely opposite sound worlds. The line-up sizes range from the unaccompanied harp solo ("Wisdom Eye") to the large orchestra with a big band of up to 25 pieces plus a 12-piece string section. Alice Coltrane's main instrument is the electric Wurlitzer organ, whose scratchy sound conjures up John Coltrane's saxophone (especially in the opener "Spiritual Eternal"). Most of the time she improvises modally, meanderingly, meditatively-ecstatically – whether in Latin rock idiom ("Los Caballos") or without a fixed time ("Morning Worship" with Tamboura accompaniment).
Support is provided by renowned musicians such as Charlie Haden (bass), Jerome Richardson (saxophone and flute), Hubert Laws (flute) and Ernie Watts (cor anglais). In the piece "Om Supreme" Coltrane then switches to a gently swinging Fender Rhodes, to which only a six-part vocal group joins. A surprising conclusion to the album is the orchestral adaptation of Stravinsky's "Sacre du Printemps". The dissonant and free jazz moments in it have nothing meditative about them anymore.

Features:

• 180g High Quality Vinyl
• Pure Analogue
• Made from the original, analogue master tapes
• Recording: August and October 1975 at The Burbank Studios, Burbank, USA, and Westlake Audio, Los Angeles, USA, by Baker Bigsby

Musicians:

• Alice Coltrane (org, hp, el-p; perc, arr, cond)
• Terry Harrington (ts)
• Jerome Richardson (ss)
• George Bohanon (tb)
• Oscar Brashear (tp)
• Tommy Johnson (tba)
• Hubert Laws (fl)
• Charlie Haden (b)
• Ben Riley (b, dr)
• Armando Peraza (cga); u.a.

Selections:

Side A
1. Spiritual Eternal
2. Wisdom Eye
3. Los Caballos
Side B
1. Om Supreme
2. Morning Worship
3. Spring Rounds from Rite Of Spring