The Carnegie Hall Concert
Alice Coltrane (Impulse!)
Alice Coltrane’s “The Carnegie Hall Concert” is a knockout that lays bare the power of music to transform. It’s a spiritual odyssey that blows past the limitations of Jazz. This 1971 live recording captures a turning point in Alice Coltrane’s career, a time when she was on a deep personal and artistic quest. Joined by a stellar band featuring heavy hitters like Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, drummers Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis, Tulsi Sen Gupta on tamboura, and Kumar Kramer on harmonium, Coltrane leads a mind-blowing exploration that feels like channeling a higher power. It’s a moment of collective understanding, a peak experience most folks only get a fleeting glimpse of in the daily grind.
The album opens with the sprawling “Journey in Satchidananda.” Bassists Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee lay down a steady groove, setting the stage for a revelation. Coltrane’s harp spirals take us on a trip, unlocking the gates of freedom for Sanders and Shepp to wail. It’s hypnotic and melts away stress like sunshine. “Shiva-Loka” floats on clouds of harp, harmonium, and tamboura, with a mesmerizing groove.
Then Coltrane switches to piano, and it’s like the roof blows off, revealing a vast, endless sky. The shift is seismic, yet sublime, heralding the arrival of “Africa” and “Leo,” two of her late husband John Coltrane’s most epic and sacred masterpieces. The piano keys become a conduit for the soul, each note a step deeper into the heart of musical transcendence. The fiery passion purifies the soul. Sanders and Shepp, both on tenor sax, plead and soar with a deeply human quality that speaks to our moments of both struggle and triumph. The chemistry between these musicians on “The Carnegie Hall Concert” is something special, a rare thing to witness. This, combined with some masterful use of dynamics and tempo, creates truly moving crescendos and arrangements that flow like a dream. It’s raw and intense at times, but also soothing and perfectly balanced. This is a landmark recording for sure, a shining example of the spiritual Jazz movement at its finest.
To wrap it up, “The Carnegie Hall Concert” is a timeless masterpiece, a testament to Alice Coltrane’s profound musical vision. It’s a spiritual odyssey that shatters the boundaries of Jazz, offering listeners a transformative experience that lingers long after the last note fades away. This album is a journey into the very core of what makes music such a powerful and transformative art form.
“The music is within your heart, your soul, your spirit, and this is all I did when I sat at piano. I just go within.”
— Alice Coltrane
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