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Written by Ronaldo Oregano
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Monday, 15 January 2007 |
“Once John and I were coming from a
concert that he had played out here in California and it was late in
the morning—we got out at daybreak. We heard a couple leaving, and the
lady said, ‘I have to hurry home because I'm going to church.’ Her
companion said, ‘Church? You've already been to church!’ ” -
Alice Coltrane from a JazzTimes
interview by Ashley Kahn.
The jazz pianist, organist, harpist, and composer Alice Coltrane
died of respiratory failure at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center
in suburban Los Angeles on January 12, 2007. Reportedly she had been in
frail health for
some time prior to her death. She was the widow of John Coltrane and
she played piano with him from 1965 until his death in 1967. In the
early 1970s, after years of devotion to Eastern religion,
Alice took the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda. She continued to
perform under the name Alice Coltrane.
Alice Coltrane was born Alice McLeod in Detroit, Michigan on August 27,
1937, Coltrane studied classical music, starting piano at the age of 7.
She traveled to Paris in 1959 to study with Bud Powell. From 1962 to
1963 she played with Terry Gibbs' quartet, during which time she met
John Coltrane. She played piano with his group from 1965 until his
death in 1967. She had married him in 1966 and they had three children:
drummer John Jr., and saxophonists Oran and Ravi. John Jr. died in a
car crash in 1982.
Some critics blamed the influence of Alice Coltrane for John's
immersion in the avant-garde and the break-up of his quartet. For
much of the last nearly 40 years, she was the keeper of John Coltrane's
musical legacy, managing his archive and estate. Her husband died of
liver disease July 17, 1967, at the age of 40.
After her husband's death she continued to play with her own groups,
moving into meditative music. Following a 25-year hiatus from major
public performances, she returned to the stage for three US appearances
in the fall of 2006, culminating with a concert in San Francisco on
November 4th with her son Ravi, drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Charlie
Haden.
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Thursday, 28 August 2008
