Alice Coltrane: The Legacy Of A Pioneering Female Jazz Musician

The Coltrane name is familiar to people who know little – or even nothing – of jazz. Saxophonist/composer John Coltrane was one of the genre’s key figures, and his talismanic name, iconic reputation, and stellar music has transcended the jazz idiom that bore him. But what the public at large probably don’t know is there are two significant Coltranes in the history of jazz. The other was John’s wife, Alice Coltrane, born on August 27, 1937.

Listen to Alice Coltrane’s spiritual jazz on Apple Music and Spotify.

Cosmic music

Alice Coltrane’s career as a solo artist didn’t begin until her husband’s ended, when he died from cancer, aged 40, on July 17, 1967. Her first formal release came the following year, with the 1968 album Cosmic Music, on which she was jointly credited with her late husband and added overdubbed orchestral arrangements to some of his studio performances. The album made clear that Alice – a classically-trained pianist originally from Detroit and who’d been in John’s band between 1965 and ’67 – vowed to carry on her husband’s mission of making music that was driven by an earnest quest to explore the intersection of human and divine love.

Her first solo album proper, A Monastic Trio, also released in 1968 on her husband’s former label, Impulse!, showcased Alice playing harp as well as piano on a series of songs that melded hypnotic modal vamps with pronounced blues and gospel inflections. And, over the course of six other highly-regarded albums for Impulse!, released between 1968 and 1973, Alice went on sonic voyages of self-discovery that explored new territory in spiritual jazz.

Astral meditation

Via her inspirational early 70s records such as Journey In Satchidananda (featuring Pharoah Sanders), World Galaxy, and Lord Of Lords, Alice Coltrane patented a uniquely personal style of spiritual jazz that was defined by cascading harp glissandi, highly percussive piano playing, swirling clouds of organ, and lush symphonic orchestral arrangements. This rich musical tapestry was underpinned and unified by a cosmic sense of vision and a passionate interest in spirituality and Eastern religion.

These spiritual concerns would eventually lead Alice to leave the music business altogether, following a three-album stint at Warner Bros in the late 70s, to focus on living a devout life in a Californian Ashram, where she became a spiritual director of its Vedantic Center. Alice continued to make music during this time – under the name Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda – albeit on a sporadic basis.

Though Alice lived in quiet obscurity for many years, by the late 90s, hip-hop had brought her back into the public eye. Cypress Hill famously sampled her 1972 track “Galaxy In Olodumare” on their 1993 hit “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That,” and, throughout the decade, her music was also a source of inspiration for The Beatnuts and Sneaker Pimps.

The late 90s saw the release of Astral Meditation: The Music Of Alice Coltrane, a compilation which drew on her Impulse! tenure. For those unfamiliar with Alice Coltrane’s work, it represents a fine introduction, though it’s hard to find now. 2006’s The Impulse! Story is, however, still in print, while for those who prefer their music on vinyl, a rare 1973 double-album compilation, Reflection On Creation And Space (A Five Year View), will reward those who are able to hunt it down.

A formidable musical legacy

In 2004, Alice was coaxed out of retirement to record a new album for Impulse!, Translinear Light, produced by her saxophone-playing son, Ravi Coltrane. Sadly, it proved to be her last. Three years later, on January 12, 2007, she passed away at the age of 69.

Since then, Alice Coltrane’s music has continued to grow in stature, with a steady stream of reissues confirming a growing public interest in her work. The samples have continued, too, with Flying Lotus, in particular, revealing himself to be a keen disciple by re-using snippets from her songs for his own records. (Born Steven Ellison, the producer is Alice Coltrane’s grand-nephew.)

Alice Coltrane’s influence is not just restricted to record producers. Her music has permeated a new generation of jazz musicians with spiritual inclinations, including acclaimed US saxophonist Kamasi Washington and rising UK group Maisha, who both carry her musical DNA.

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