A Woman of Constant Transformation
Creating roots for the future by combining African-American and Vedic chanting,
thereby inviting all of us, for compassion's sake, to Journey into the Infinite
In appreciation of Alice “Turiya” Coltrane
Divine Music"Divine music is a curative virtue; it is a gift from God that brings healing and comfort to the soul. This music can uplift one’s spirit up to a higher dimension of being that is filled with peace and joy. Divine music is the sound of true life, wisdom, and bliss. This music transcends geographical boundaries, language barriers, age factors; and whether educated or uneducated, it reaches deep into the heart and soul, sacred and holy, like an Infinite sound of glory entering the Lord's sanctuary." – Alice Coltrane (1937 – 2007)
Creating New Roots for the Future
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A Woman of Constant Transformation: Alice Coltrane
"Alice was a woman of constant transformation. She was born Alice McLeod, to become Alice Coltrane, then eventually shed conventional names altogether and was known as Swamini Turiyasangitananda (Sanskrit for "the highest song of God"). Earlier on, Alice had embraced the teachings of the guru Sathya Sai Baba, and shades of her spirituality were reflected on a string of gorgeous albums from the late 1960s through '70s on Impulse! and Warner Brothers. In 1983, she retreated from secular life altogether and founded the Vedantic Center Sai Anantam Ashram, tucked deep into the Santa Monica Mountains bordering Los Angeles. Her musical output seemed to silence but in actuality the waves were building. Turiya (Alice) had given up secular music to focus on pure devotion. Her songs of praise came in the form of Vedic Chants. These were not muted, whispered prayers. They were ecstatic praise in full swing. The sessions were released as worship tapes & CDs available through her Ashram's Avatar Book Institute: Turiya Sings (1982), Divine Songs (1987), Infinite Chants (1990), Glorious Chants (1995). They are a total revelation for any Alice Coltrane fan and a missing link of sorts in her musical story." (Mark "Frosty" Oneill in Dulab retrietced 10/15/18)
Interviews with People who Knew
and Worked with Alice Coltrane
Chanting Sanskrit right out of the Gospel Tradition
Om Shanti |
The Cross-Cultural Spiritualism of Alice Coltrane
"John Coltrane was one of the true legends of jazz – a virtuoso sax player but also a seeker, whose later music (A Love Supreme, for example) represented a spiritual journey. Alice Coltrane shared that musical quest with her husband, and as a fine pianist and harpist (a rarity in the jazz world), she had her own distinctive musical voice. After John’s death, she released a number of her own albums, whose titles reflected her deepening interest in ancient Sanskrit scriptures and spiritual practice. Eventually, she took the name Turiyasangitananda, occasionally referring to herself as Turiya Alice Coltrane. Between 1982 and 1995 she recorded a series of cassettes, largely unheard outside the ashram she founded in California, that featured a remarkable music born from her Detroit gospel roots and her love of the sacred chants of Hinduism. Many of them featured Alice Coltrane playing the organ, sometimes with synthesizers and often with her disciples singing and clapping along. Some are rollicking and effusive, some are contemplative and lovely. Now, a compilation of that material is being prepared for release, on May 5. A single track, “Om Shanti,” is available now – it starts as a solo chant over organ, but watch what happens near the two-minute mark, when the other voices join in: the song’s character doesn’t change – the song doesn’t increase tempo or drop into a rhythmic groove; but those voices, chanting a Sanskrit text, are right out of the Gospel tradition." (New Sounds: https://www.newsounds.org/) |