FunkFreak75 Released in September of 1974--the first of three rather gentle, Popol Vuh-like free jazz albums on which Carlos used the term "Devadip" (reputedly meaning in Sanskrit, "the light and lantern of the supreme" or "the eye, the lamp and the light of god") that spiritual guru Sri Chimnoy had given him.

A1. "Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism" (1:10) nothing like a professional "om" to open an album!

A2. "Angel Of Air / Angel Of Water" (9:55) had Carlos ever played such clear, sustained, crystalline notes on his electric guitar as he did in the second minute of this song? Bass, harp, orchestra-like cymbal play, and Fender Rhodes piano chords support this for the first four minutes until sax enters to help bring the "Angel of Air" section to a close. The second half has Alice's harp playing more prominently alongside Dave Holland's pacifying bass lines and opposite Carlos' at-first subdued, almost-muted guitar note play. Orchestral strings and Fender Rhodes swirl at both ends of the aural spectrum before Jules Broussard's sax (which sounds more like an alto than the credited soprano) returns. The song's final three minutes, then, unfold as a sparse duet between Carlos and Alice before the bass and strings re-join for the final two. Beautiful and, I'd say, yes, successful in its devotional aspirations. (18/20)

A3. "Bliss: The Eternal Now" (5:32) full orchestra is here central and to this music with Carlos' r/humble and even deferential guitar and Alice's pensive piano feeling almost supportive of, if not reactive to, the strings, etc. I like this very much. (9.25/10)

B1. "Angel Of Sunlight" (14:43) with the presence of the tamboura, cymbals, non-Western scales being played by Carlos and, later, tabla, this one seems to be trying to present itself as a kind of East-West fusion piece--and this was before any of the Shakti or CoDoNa releases, though a couple of years after Collin Walcott's OREGON trio had been trying to make its mark on the East Coast. At the three minute mark the entry of a domineering Dave Holland bass and full-blown drum kit from Jack DeJohnette seems to be trying to steer this song into the clutches of the West but . The entry of a note-bending organ in the ninth minute adds an odd sound that I suppose is trying to emulate the note-bending capacities of the sitar and other Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean instruments. Wild free-form saxophone and Carlos' note-bending banshee-screaming guitar notes join in during the successive minutes sounding more like one of ROBERT FRIPP's free-form KING CRIMSON sessions (think Discipline's "Indiscipline"). With the arrival of the 12-minute mark comes a calming "after the storm" wind down effect. An incredible song of cross-cultural (28.5/30)

B2. "Illuminations" (4:20) Tom Coster's single piano chord opens this one, held and sustained while the orchestra strings, vibrapone, and harp slowly and, eventually, rather-dramatically work their way into the song (between successive piano chord hits). Again, it really feels as if the orchestra is the lead instrument here, even when Carlos' delicate and unassuming guitar lends its very minimal notes. (9/10)

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Though I would never categorize this album as one of Jazz-Rock Fusion, it is a collection of song performances drawing on both jazz and cinema soundtrack history to express the devotional aspect of its composers and performers.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of some kind of jazz-informed devotional music.

Miler72 I'm certain Carlos Santana wanted to meet up and perhaps collaborate with John Coltrane, but it was obviously too late as he passed away in 1967, and Santana had just formed and their debut album won't see the light of day for another two years. It's clear Mr. Santana was a big fan. At least many years later, after being a disciple of Sri Chimnoy, and already releasing a coupe of fusion albums with Santana (Caravanserai, Welcome) and with John McLaughlin (Love, Devotion, Surrender), he got to collaborate with John Coltrane's widow Alice Coltrane. I knew right away this wasn't going to be a Santana album. Much of side one consists of orchestral passages with Mr. Santana's unmistakable guitar playing and some really nice harp playing from Ms. Coltrane. This is truly stuff that you can't imagine being on Caravanserai, Welcome or Borboletta. It's great stuff indeed. "Angel of Sunlight" is the closer to Love, Devotion, Surrender in spirit, has that same intense jamming, although with more of an Indian influence. Tablas are used but also drumming from Jack DeJohnette, and congas from Armando Peraza, Afro-Cuban percussionist, who, unsurprisingly, played with Santana. I also dig the cover, it reminds me of artwork you'd see on various versions of the Bhagavad Gita, which I guess was intentional, given Mr. Santana's association with Sri Chimnoy (Alice Coltrane wasn't a disciple of Sri Chimnoy, though). Rather unique stuff that's well worth having!

siLLy puPPy The word avant-garde is simply a term for the “leftovers” of music that don't fit neatly into any category. Given the breadth of experimental possibilities, it is rather meaningless by definition in conveying any prior sense of what to expect before actually hearing a new musical piece. Such is the case for ALICE COLTRANE and her masterpiece PTAH THE EL DAOUD (Ptah is an Egyptian God and El Daoud simply means The Beloved.) This sounds absolutely nothing like many of the other jazz artists lumped into the avant-garde such as Eric Dolphy, Sun Ra etc. Upon first listen it seems to me that Alice simply created something in the jazz world that is similar to what emerged in the rock world that later become known as post-rock, meaning rock instrumentation focused on ambiance and soundscapes rather than preordained musical compositions. ALICE COLTRANE does just that. It is clearly jazz by the sounds of the saxes and flutes, yet it's like the scarab beetle that graces this beautiful album cover. Alice's musical vision is the soft spiritually-infused fleshy part on the inside and the jazz instrumentation is the hard exoskeleton giving it a form. Just like post-rock, this post-jazz has additional instruments not usually heard in jazz. In this case the harp played with full virtuosity by Alice herself. And a super satisfying performance I may add.

This album is just brilliant! It is a return to the modal jazz composition of the previous decade that was quickly being abandoned for a more fusion approach in the jazz world, yet it wasn't just being retrospective. It was also fresh and original taking jazz to new places. At times the piano reminds me more of soul or gospel adding a warmth and a gentleness to the ferociousness of the musical performance that feels like a battle between order and chaos and at times it truly does have a free-jazz feel especially when Pharoah Sanders and Joe Henderson are competing on the left and right channels with their saxophones. The free form performances of bassist Ron Carter and drummer Ben Riley show that it really is the sum of the parts that make this album come together. None of the individual instruments would sound right without the contrast. The strange thing about this album is that despite feeling like a mystical spiritual journey the music doesn't particularly evoke any feel towards the Ancient Egyptian imagery depicted on the cover art. Doesn't matter a bit though. I find this music satisfying from beginning to end and wishing more albums of the sort had been made like it. However, I guess that would diminish from its uniqueness. 5 stars

Sean Trane Deep in her spiritual quest and under the influence of some maharishi guru, Alice recorded this UC album in three different sessions that were indeed quite different in terms of who was playing. Despite the full respect I have for Trane’s widow, I was never really able to decipher her lengthy mumbo jumbo on the innerfold of the album, but it’s not really necessary to get a solid whiff of the music on the black disc. If the outerfold artwork shows Alice in a normal state, the pictures inside show her in an influenced transient state, which she will never really leave for the rest of her life.

The first session took place on April 6/71 and consists of two tracks (plus another half), including the opening UC cacophonic and dissonant title track and the calmer “oh allah”, where she plays her Wurlitzer organ with Garrison and DeJohnette and a 4-man violin section (including Leroy Jenkins) and the help of Ornette for the arrangement scores.

The second session happened mid-May and featured Garrison, DeJohnette, Jarvis and Tulsi on tamboura. But the opening Hare Krishna track received some string arrangement treatment from the quartet mentioned above at a different date, while Sita Ram (a trad Indian piece) remained as such. Needless to say that Tulsi’s sitar/tamboura playing adds an undeniable Indian feel that permeates every second of the two compositions.

The third session occurred mid-June and was probably held to fill the rest of the album, and produced two tracks, one aside. It’s mainly Alice on her Wurlitzer and Rashied on drums, and if Armageddon has got a cosmic feel, Ankh is breathes serenity due to the added harp playing in the intro. Now it doesn’t really feel like filler material, but it’s certainly hors de propos sonically-speaking from the rest of the album. Definitely not her easier album to get into, but also not her most inaccessible, UC is probably not a fitting intro into Alice’s musical world, but it can be investigated in a second wave.

Warthur Alice Coltrane's musical exploration of mystical concepts from Egyptian mythology might be firmly in the avant-garde camp, but it sounds an awful lot more focused and honed than much of what is usually referred to as free jazz. Alice and her posse of sidemen manage such a dead-on evocation of mood with this one that it's hard to say which parts are structured composition and which parts are free improvisation, since more or less everything the musicians play helps evoke the atmosphere aimed for. The sax-and-flute duo of Henderson and Sanders are a particular treat, especially the way they are arranged in the mix - listen to a stereo version of the album on headphones to get the full effect of their interplay.