C*LTURE: Alice Coltrane
Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda was a jazz pianist, organist, harpist, singer, composer and swamini.
Alice was a musical prodigy, learning piano from an early age, and playing organ in Mount Olive Baptist Church by the age of nine.
The legendary jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane was her soulmate, husband and collaborator. Together they embarked on a deeply spiritual journey of musical exploration. They had four children before John passed away in 1967.
After her husband's death, Alice suffered from severe weight loss, sleepless nights and hallucinations. Alice spent focused time in isolation, fasting, praying, and meditating.
In the 1970s, she became a disciple of Swami Satchidananda and took on the name Turiyasangitananda.Â
Turiyasangitananda translates as the Transcendental Lord’s highest song of Bliss. She became a spiritual leader herself and and continued to record devotional music for her community, she left her physical form in 2007.
Alice Coltrane’s catalogue of music is divine.
Website: https://www.alicecoltrane.com/