Verve Records’ “Acoustic Sounds Series” has outdone themselves this time out with a reissue of ALICE COLTRANE’s classic 1971 album “Journey In Satchidananda.” Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes on 180g LP and CD, this album reveals just how far the pianist and widow of John Coltrane had come in the three years after his death.
Journey In Satchidananda is out now. Order your copy HERE.
“Satchidananda means knowledge, existence, bliss. Listen with your inner ear to Alice along with Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Haden, Rashied Ali, Cecil McBee, and others.” — Downbeat
Alice Coltrane had become a disciple of Swami Satchidananda, which explains the title of her 1971 masterpiece Journey in Satchidananda, recorded November 8, 1970 (except for one live track) and issued in January of 1971. It was recorded at the Coltrane home studio in Dix Hills, New York. Coltrane and Ed Michel produced the album. Album photography was by Chuck Stewart and Ed Michel. It was issued as impulse! AS 9203.
The band for the studio tracks included Alice Coltrane. piano, harp; Pharoah Sanders, soprano saxophone, percussion; Cecil McBee, double bass; Rashied Ali, drums; Tulsi, tanpura; and Majid Shabazz, bells, tambourine. For “Isis and Osiris,” recorded live July 4, 1970, at The Village Gate in New York City, the group was: Alice Coltrane. harp; Pharoah Sanders, soprano saxophone, percussion; Charlie Haden, double bass; Rashied Ali, drums; and Vishnu Wood, oud. All songs were by Coltrane.
Allmusic says the landmark Journey to Satchidananda reveals just how far the pianist and widow of John Coltrane had come in the three years after his death. “The compositions here are wildly open and droning figures built on whole tones and minor modes. And while it’s true that one can definitely hear her late husband’s influence on this music, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Pharoah Sanders’ playing on the title cut, ‘Shiva-Loka,’ and ‘Isis and Osiris’ (which also features the Vishnu Wood on oud and Charlie Haden on bass) is gloriously restrained and melodic.”
Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises’ audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world’s largest source for audiophile recordings.
