Alice Coltrane: Transfiguration

From the death of her husband, the great John Coltrane, in 1967 until this riveting and spectacular live performance from Schoenberg Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles in April 1978, pianist, organist and harpist Alice Coltrane created a body of work that was largely under appreciated both for its technical and spiritual aspects.  First for Impulse! and then for Warner Brothers, her albums displayed a total humility and devotion to the energy of music as refracted through her Hindu beliefs.  Having compatriots who displayed every empathy and synchronicity with her concepts made her recordings consistently excellent.

Transfiguration is, perhaps, the culmination of that decade or so of exploration and is a staggering achievement on several levels.  First, it highlights Coltrane's mastery of the organ and piano in service to the music.  Second, she was able to showcase her compositions, six of the seven being originals, with the work of her late husband-- this latter being the epic "Leo," basing the twelve tones used in the piece with the signs of the zodiac.  Finally, she chose accompanists of the highest quality who put themselves fully into the spirit of the music, these being the always dependable bassist Reggie Workman and the sublime drummer Roy Haynes, both of whom had worked with John Coltrane.

Reviews have pointed out that Alice Coltrane's organ work reflects her upbringing and experiences as a church organist in her native Detroit and this would seem to be filtered through her movement through the jazz world and in her Hindu religion in the couple of decades since.  Her playing is fully immersed in the spiritual energy she channeled in her solo work and embellished by the totally sympathetic rhythm work of Haynes and Workman.  The title track was described by the leader as being something that "transforms every musical statement . . . from a mere expression of one's mental prowess and musical capabilities into an offering of love and devotion" to God.

Her work on piano is gorgeous and features much of the shimmering sounds, exquisite fluidity and lightness of touch that marked her work with her husband in 1966-67 and her solo work thereafter.  "One for the Father" is dedicated to John Coltrane and Alice  displays her talent for virtuosity without superfluous display.  Moreover, it displays classic and gospel influences that show how complex her work on the instrument could be.  On "Prema," there is a nine-piece overdubbed string section that could have proven to be distracting or out-of-place in other contexts, but here it blends and melds perfectly with the live performance.

The centerpiece of the album, however, is the 37-minute "Leo," which combines her mind-blowing technique on organ, the remarkable support and soloing of Workman and Haynes, the spiritual complexity of the twelve tone/zodiac structure established by John Coltrane and, it should be mentioned, the involvement of the fourth member of the ensemble, the ecstatic crowd, which shouted, screamed, and rapturously applauded throughout the recording, but especially on this piece.  That reaction showed that Alice Coltrane's emphasis on energy was entirely successful.

A word or two should be said about Workman and Haynes.  Both were known for being the ultimate in sensitive accompanists and this holds entirely true for this performance, though their solos on "Leo" allowed them the opportunity to show their virtuosity.  Workman is great and shows a fullness, roundness, and richness of sound that translated very well in the live setting.

Haynes, who never seems to have received the acclaim of other drum masters of his era (including Max Roach, Elvin Jones, and others), is nothing short of amazing in his long solo.  In a little over two weeks, Haynes turns 90 and, hopefully, there'll be plenty of celebrating this percussion master so that he can get more of the recognition he so deserves.  This album shows his genius in full flower.

The Warner Brothers studio recordings of the mid-seventies were largely Hindu devotional exercises, but Transfiguration brought Coltrane back to a jazz setting, while allowing her to express her spiritual and religious devotion.  Another quarter century passed before she returned to a similar context, after continuing her Hindu teachings, with 2004's excellent Translinear Light, her last album before her death at age 69 in 2007.

Transfiguration is a highlight in her storied career and, if anything would cast her in a light solely on her own as a great artist, not merely as the talented spouse of a master, it would be this amazing album.

Alice Coltrane: Ptah, the El Daoud

Pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane has often been overlooked and overshadowed by the massive presence and legacy of her husband John Coltrane, but in the decade after the latter's death in July 1967, she produced a body of work that stands on its own as among the best in American music, much less jazz.

Born Alice MacLeod in Detroit in 1937, Coltrane played in a club in Paris and studied there with the great Bud Powell.  She also was an excellent vibraphonist and first gained notice in the Terry Gibbs band in the early 1960s.  Briefly married to singer Kenny Hagood, perhaps best known for his vocals on the Birth of the Cool recordings led by Miles Davis in the late 1940s, she had a daughter, Michelle, with him, but the marriage soon ended.

Not long after meeting John Coltrane, Alice married him and the couple had three sons in short order and John adopted Michelle.  Then, at the end of 1965, when McCoy Tyner left John's band, Alice stepped in as pianist and immediately gave the band a different feel and presence from Tyner's strong block-chord style to a more flowing and delicate way of playing.

A devotee of Hinduism, Coltrane gradually moved closer to an all-encompasing devotion to her music that promoted those religious concerns, but for several years she produced recordings that blended those elements with excellent jazz components, creating a unique hybrid, even for that experimental era.

The high point might well be her 1970 album, Ptah, the El Daoud.  The title seems awfully dated, but the music hardly is.  Regarding that title, Coltrane offered the explanation that "Ptah" is an Egyptian god, who was "one of the highest aspects of God.  The reference to "El Daoud" deals with "the Beloved" and her use of it manifested a desire "to express and bring out a feeling of purification."

The title track begins with a steady march-like statement from the incomparable Ron Carter, who is best known for his years as a member of the Miles Davis Quintet from 1963 to 1968.  Coltrane's piano and Ben Riley's drums then enter to establish the steady rhythm.  Solos come from the dual horn section of Joe Henderson, always rock solid on the tenor and who was given the left channel throughout the recording, and Pharoah Sanders, also on tenor and on the right channel.  Sanders was a member, with Coltrane, in her husband's last group in 1966 and 1967, when his music became its most experimental and adventurous.

Coltrane's piano playing, heavily in the modal framework, is light-fingered, fluid and permeating, reminding this listener of how drummer Roy Haynes would play.  The pulse is not strong or powerful, but steady, persistent, rhythmic and melodic.  It is also highly distinctive.  Being one of the very few women instrumentalists to have a significant body of work, Coltrane created a way of playing that always impresses, without being overly flashy and showy.

In fact, her playing on the second track, "Turiya and Ramakrishna," is gorgeous, bluesy and soulful, sensitively accompanied by Riley's excellent brush work and Carter's higher register playing.  Absent are Henderson and Sanders and this is Coltrane's showcase.  Again, she plays with great feeling, fantastic control and fluidity and no bluster and Carter's solo is the embodiment of tastefulness and faithfulness to the tune.

"Blue Nile" then features Coltrane on the harp, on which instrument she masterfully plays while Henderson and Sanders provide a solid flute accompaniment.   Again, Carter proves to be so adept at placing the right notes in the perfect spots during the course of the piece.  This meditative piece manages to evoke real spirituality while keeping a steady jazz rhythm.

"Mantra" then passes the baton onto the horn players, who play their solos, but also intertwine their playing in an interesting, complementary and compelling way.  The lengthy piece gives Henderson and Sanders plenty of room to demonstrate their ample talents and Sanders especially shows that his playing could be a lot more bluesy, soulful than he was known for earlier when his multiphonics and extreme upper register blowing got plenty of notoriety with John Coltrane's band.

Ptah, the El Daoud is a distinguished record from a great bandleader, a woman who maintained a high standard of performance when women rarely had the opportunity to be leaders.  With excellent support from Sanders, Henderson, Carter and Riley, Coltrane created a masterpiece with this record.

Alice Coltrane:  Ptah, the El Daoud (Impulse, 1970)

1.  Ptah, the El Daoud  13:58
2.  Turiya and Ramakrishna  8:19
3.  Blue Nile  6:58
4.  Mantra  16:33