#4057: Spiritual Jazz
The legendary sax player & composer John Coltrane recorded “A Love Supreme” in late 1964, a four-part suite containing struggle and suffering suffused with a message of universal love and divine connection. Although Coltrane’s music was not exactly of an established religious tradition, a congregation officially took the name St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in 1982. For this New Sounds, listen to the opening movement of this deeply spiritual record with its chanting and trancelike repeating bass line. Then, hear another spiritual work from Coltrane’s wife, Alice, along with music from one of her disciples, and one of his.
Hear some of the music from the fine pianist and harpist, Alice Coltrane, who, after her husband’s death, also continued on a spiritual journey via music. She came up with a personal blend of Detroit roots music with the sound of Hindu chants and made private recordings in the 1970s, intended for her followers. A compilation of that material was released in the spring of 2017, and we’ll hear one of those Gospel-leaning Sanskrit texts. Listen also to the Hindu chant and Western soul and jazz by Panduranga Henderson, who was a the keyboard player for Ray Charles in the 1970’s, and a disciple of Alice Coltrane’s. Then, listen to a large portion of music by Pharaoh Sanders, his "the Creator Has A Master Plan." It’s something of a sequel to his mentor John Coltrane's legendary 1964 recording "A Love Supreme," in that, it too, has a cycling bass line and a chanted title. The full work is a half-hour musical and spiritual journey which although is rooted in jazz, also embraced gospel, soul, African folk, and what would come to be known as world music. We'll hear as much as time allows.
PROGRAM #4057 Spiritual Jazz (First Aired: 12/11/2017)
ARTIST: John Coltrane
WORK: Part 1 - Acknowledgement [7:47]
RECORDING: A Love Supreme
SOURCE: Impulse/Verve
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify
ARTIST: Alice Coltrane
WORK: Om Rama [9:40]
RECORDING: World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitanada
SOURCE: Luaka Bop
INFO: alicecoltrane.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Panduranga Henderson
WORK: Rama Rama Sri Bhagwan [11:40]
RECORDING: Ocean of Love
SOURCE: Luaka Bop
INFO: luakabop.com
ARTIST: Donovan
WORK: High Your Love [2:42]
RECORDING: Sutras
SOURCE: American #43075
INFO: Available at Amazon.com
ARTIST: Pharoah Sanders
WORK: The Creator Has A Master Plan, excerpt [16:10]
RECORDING: Karma
SOURCE: Impulse
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, iTunes, Spotify
