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Alice Coltrane | Essential albums and listening guide
Explore Alice Coltrane through Journey in Satchidananda. Discover what to listen for and follow related styles to your next record.
Alice Coltrane
Meet the artist
John Coltrane’s wife, and a pianist/harp player who also participated in his late-life bands. She pursued spiritual jazz, reflecting her deep fascination with Indian philosophy. Strong piano harmonies and flowing harp textures serve a distinctive spiritual imagination.
Melodies move above repeated bass figures or sustained sounds, creating a different sense of musical time. Indian musical and religious interests shape structure as well as color. Quiet passages retain a strong improvisational purpose, making the music more than a soothing atmosphere: it is an exploration of inner life through sound.
Where to start listening
Separate the repeating low notes from the sounds floating above them. Listen for depth created by overlapping tones and melodies that gradually change shape.
1971Journey in Satchidananda
Alice Coltrane
A masterpiece by Alice Coltrane, which combines the harmonies of the harp with Eastern meditative elements. Along with Pharoah Sanders, it helped establish the pinnacle of Spiritual Jazz music.
Open this album in the Atlas →
1970Ptah, the El Daoud
Alice Coltrane
This composition by Alice Coltrane is produced by a lineup featuring Pharaoh Sanders and Joe Henderson, both tenors. It embodies the mysterious and meditative qualities of Alice Coltrane’s music.
Open this album in the Atlas →
Years follow the Atlas catalogue. Recording dates, original release dates and digital reissue dates may differ.