The Carnegie Hall Concert in Bloomington, MN

The Carnegie Hall Concert in February 1971 was a benefit show for the Integral Yoga Institute, founded by
Alice Coltrane
's guru
Swami Satchidananda
. She credited him with her redemption from the grief and emotional trauma she suffered after her husband's passing, while she was trying to support herself and four young children.
Coltrane
, then 33, plays both piano and harp here. She is backed by a double quartet, with saxophonists
Pharoah Sanders
and
Archie Shepp
, bassists
Jimmy Garrison
Cecil McBee
, drummers
Ed Blackwell
Clifford Jarvis
,
Tulsi Sen Gupta
on tamboura, and
Kumar Kramer
on harmonium (the latter appear unmiked on the first two cuts only).
performed the middle slot in a triple bill with
Laura Nyro
the Rascals
. A week before the concert, she released her fourth and most popular album,
Journey in Satchidananda
, with a lineup that included
Sanders
McBee
, and
Tulsi
.
The concert was recorded by
Impulse
A&R head man
Ed Michel
, who supervised the recordings and lobbied to release them.
demurred, and placed the tapes in the vault, where they were eventually lost. This recording is taken from
Michel
's reference spare.
There are four extended performances here, beginning with "Journey in Satchidananda." The tamboura and harmonium drones can still be heard ambiently through the other microphones. Whispering cymbals introduce the opener, as tamboura, harmonium (functioning almost like a reed organ), and basses, playing single notes, echo one another as in a raga before the drums enter.
states the theme before
's rippling, cascading harp enters, adding expanded harmony, lush texture, and spiritual drama.
' flute joins in at six minutes, as does a restrained
Shepp
. The circular vamp gets built up and ratcheted down by all the bandmembers as it conjures spiritual bliss in setting up "Shiva-Loka." The song commences with an arco bassline, harp chords, and plectrum arpeggios. The drummers begin at two minutes as bells and other percussion instruments whisper in and out.
' soprano sax slots between the harp and bass vamps in a bluesy, modal solo. Percussion, harp, and occasional bursts from
maintain its circularity; despite its muscle, it's actually contemplative. Disc two is comprised of two
John Coltrane
compositions: The title track from 1961's
Africa/Brass
and "Leo" from 1966's
Infinity
.
Alice
plays piano on both. She guides the band in leaving the meditative atmospherics of the previous jams to get exploratory via modal free jazz.
' and
's tenors engage with
in knotty, resonant interplay as the drummers ferociously crash and clatter around them. "Leo," by contrast, is as intense and outside as its studio version, perhaps more so. Its highlights include
's fiery piano solo encountering spiritual jazz, bebop, and the modal blues. The squalling saxophonists make room for the drummers, who wonderfully match their squalling intensity. All told, the concert's pace, textures, explosive drama, virtuosity, and limitless creativity are unmatched.
The Carnegie Hall Concert
package includes an excellent, insightful liner essay by
Lauren Du Graf
and a reminiscence by
. This is an essential entry in
's catalog and a remarkable kick-off to
's "Year of Alice." ~ Thom Jurek