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The first full-length biography of Alice Coltrane, the jazz musician and spiritual leader whose forward-thinking music was overshadowed by her more famous husband, even as she brilliantly laid the groundwork for the new age, ambient, and electronic music that would follow
Alice Coltrane (1937-2007) was one of the most forward-looking yet misunderstood artists of the last sixty years. For most of her life-and even in the decades since her passing-she was primarily known as the widow of the late John Coltrane. John Coltrane is widely seen as being one of the greatest tenor saxophonists and composers of the 20th century, with a fervor and devotion approaching sainthood. Yet ever so slowly, that level of love and appreciation is also being bestowed upon pianist, organist, harpist, and composer Alice Coltrane.
Cosmic Music: The Life, Art and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane is the first full biography of this remarkable, groundbreaking artist, and is an elegant, deeply researched corrective to the historical-and critical-record. It elevates Alice Coltrane to her proper place, both alongside her husband as one of the greatest musical visionaries of the 20th century, and also as a singular artist in Western music, one who became a spiritual leader in her lifetime. In the years since her passing, she has become a great influence on a new generation of musicians, especially women, people of color, and artists who seek to combine jazz with other musical forms, be it modern classical, electronic, Indian music, and more. Cosmic Music also unearths previously unknown connections between Alice Coltrane and other generational icons, from Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Nina Simone to Mother Teresa and Doja Cat.
In Alice Coltrane's music, one can perceive the transformation of Black American music in microcosm, the gospel roots giving rise to jazz and bebop, then intermingling with soul and R&B, and then onto rock, modern classical, psychedelia, and new age. She also became a devoted Hindu spiritual leader: in 1975 she founded the Sai Anantam Ashram, located in the hills near Malibu. Cosmic Music, based on extensive research and scores of new interviews by music journalist Andy Beta, is the definitive account of a visionary whose influence is only just beginning to be appreciated in full. Andy Beta is an award-winning arts and music writer. His writing on rock, jazz, experimental, and electronic music has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times,Texas Monthly, NPR, We Jazz Magazine, and many more. He lives in New York City with his family.
Alice Coltrane (1937-2007) was one of the most forward-looking yet misunderstood artists of the last sixty years. For most of her life-and even in the decades since her passing-she was primarily known as the widow of the late John Coltrane. John Coltrane is widely seen as being one of the greatest tenor saxophonists and composers of the 20th century, with a fervor and devotion approaching sainthood. Yet ever so slowly, that level of love and appreciation is also being bestowed upon pianist, organist, harpist, and composer Alice Coltrane.
Cosmic Music: The Life, Art and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane is the first full biography of this remarkable, groundbreaking artist, and is an elegant, deeply researched corrective to the historical-and critical-record. It elevates Alice Coltrane to her proper place, both alongside her husband as one of the greatest musical visionaries of the 20th century, and also as a singular artist in Western music, one who became a spiritual leader in her lifetime. In the years since her passing, she has become a great influence on a new generation of musicians, especially women, people of color, and artists who seek to combine jazz with other musical forms, be it modern classical, electronic, Indian music, and more. Cosmic Music also unearths previously unknown connections between Alice Coltrane and other generational icons, from Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Nina Simone to Mother Teresa and Doja Cat.
In Alice Coltrane's music, one can perceive the transformation of Black American music in microcosm, the gospel roots giving rise to jazz and bebop, then intermingling with soul and R&B, and then onto rock, modern classical, psychedelia, and new age. She also became a devoted Hindu spiritual leader: in 1975 she founded the Sai Anantam Ashram, located in the hills near Malibu. Cosmic Music, based on extensive research and scores of new interviews by music journalist Andy Beta, is the definitive account of a visionary whose influence is only just beginning to be appreciated in full. Andy Beta is an award-winning arts and music writer. His writing on rock, jazz, experimental, and electronic music has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times,Texas Monthly, NPR, We Jazz Magazine, and many more. He lives in New York City with his family.
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Reviews
"Adenrele Ojo's calm narration of this musical biography provides credibility for an artist once vilified in the jazz press. Alice Coltrane was a spiritual seeker who, along with her husband and collaborator John Coltrane, reshaped modern jazz. She was not only an arranger, composer, and gifted, in-demand pianist, but also one of the late-20th-century musicians who mastered bebop only to abandon it for free-form improvisation. However, it was her spiritual explorations-including autoprojection and cosmic bliss-as well as her stewardship of the Coltrane archives that led some to cast her as a manipulative figure in John Coltrane's career. Ojo's nuanced presence and grounded performance provide an emotional balance that discounts these criticisms as misdirected and often misogynistic. Alice Coltrane's discography has, as author Beta reveals, stood the test of time.
An overdue bio of one of jazz's most misunderstood masters."
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