Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

David Byrne-Founded Label Releases ‘The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’

Terence Praet
By

Luaka Bop Presents: Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda
Since its inception in 1988, David Byrne’s label Luaka Bop has made a concerted effort to bring lost and undiscovered music to light. In 2014, the label released one of its more popular compilations Who Is William Onyeabor? to critical acclaim. (Byrne himself, along with “The Atomic Bomb Band” even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform a song from the collection.) On May 5th, Luaka Bop released its latest compilation, the first in a series of “World Spirituality Classics.” Titled The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda, the eight-track album is an astutely curated compilation of songs recorded by Coltrane between 1982 and 1995.

Spiritual devotion became Coltrane’s central purpose in life in the four decades that followed the death of her husband, legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, in 1967. By 1983 she had established Sai Anantam Ashram on 48 acres of land outside of Los Angeles. There she recorded music, but released it only within her spiritual community. These recordings—specifically Turiya Sings, Divine Songs, Infinite Chants, and Glorious Chants—are the source for the music on The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda.

By working with Alice Coltrane’s children, Luaka Bop was able to find the original masters of the recordings, giving the label a deep well to pick songs from. The result is a compilation with a wide range of sounds. Not only does it offer her first recorded vocal work, the album features solo performances on her harp, small ensembles, and a 24-piece vocal choir. Vedic devotional songs were an inspiration for Coltrane, and their influence is clear on many of the songs. So, too, is the influence of bebop, blues and the spirituals of her Detroit youth clear on the record. 

In an excerpt of the album’s liner notes published on Pitchfork, Alice and John Coltrane’s son, Oran, sums up his mother’s music perfectly: “The reason this music has that appeal, it transcends language. Somehow you hear the essence behind it….And when she put…her hands on the keyboard it was like somebody shooting a beam of light through your chest.”

Luaka Bop’s compilation World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda is out now and available on Amazon, iTunes, and Luaka Bop’s online store.

Writer’s Note: In addition to contributing to The Manual, I work at a music promotion company, Distiller Promo, that is currently promoting World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Arashi is the Most Popular Band You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of
Arashi

It’s pretty likely you’ve never heard of the most popular band on the planet right now. The act is fittingly called Arashi, Japanese for “force of a storm.”
Since the band was founded in the late 90s it has put together an immensely impressive discography of sheer pop force. Last year, Arashi’s Best-Of collection was released, an album spanning the band’s full resume. It outsold even Taylor Swift, making it the best-selling album of 2019.
The stats are mind-blowing: Arashi has sold more than 41 million records and performed for some 14 million people. The quintet has commanded the uber-popular J-pop scene for decades, not just in its native Japan but worldwide. And, again, you probably can’t name a single Arashi hit.
Related Reading

Best Band Names of All Time
Best Cover Bands

Read more
12 of the Best Voices Across All Music Genres
best voices in music rihanna singing

In music, there is no shortage of high-quality singers. The best among them, though, stop the listener in their tracks, filling their ears with sonic gold. 
Some names pop right up. Marvin Gaye and his smooth-as-marble delivery. Dolly Parton, with her signature twang and immediate recognizability. Aretha Franklin’s sheer might and unbelievable range. Brian Wilson and the hallowed harmonies of his band, the Beach Boys. Stevie Wonder and everything his epic voice touched. But what of the other golden-voiced acts out there?
When the topic is golden vocal cords, we’re not just considering those with rare ability. These vocalists and band leaders sing so supremely that their voice is an instrument -- if not a host of instruments -- in its own right. To experience some of this brilliant ear candy, look no further than the following list.

Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home to Me - with lyrics

Read more
Understanding Club Music: 5 Sub-Genres You Need To Know
dance music genres

Teasing out the differences between micro-genres of techno was a favorite pastime of the early internet. With the popularization of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) as a mainstream genre in the music world, the pedantic game of identifying certain trends and sounds has become increasingly obscure. And what’s become broadly known as “club music” often gets left out of this conversation.

Bass-heavy bangers are essential for any trip to the club -- whether it's in-person or a Zoom dance extravaganza. Although late-night party music all tends to blend together if you're debauched enough, subtle differences in style actually denote vastly different histories and traditions within club music. Due to the implicit racism of the electronic music world and nightlife industry -- and the erasure of both Black and LGBTQ cultures and histories in the narrative of Western art -- club music doesn’t get much respect as a sophisticated style of music.

Read more