Everything Jazz

Alice Coltrane, Kirtan: Turiya Sings

Impulse!, 2021

By the late 1970s, Alice Coltrane had changed her name to Turiyasangitananda and become spiritual director of an ashram near Los Angeles. Here, she focussed on arranging traditional Indian devotional chants – or kirtans – for ceremonial use. Originally released in 1982 as the first in a series of private, cassette-only releases, “Turiya Sings” featured Coltrane’s Wurlitzer organ and voice swathed in additional synthesiser and strings. Now, on “Kirtan: Turiya Sings,“ those overdubs have been stripped away, revealing the breathtaking simplicity of Coltrane’s arrangements for organ and voice. Infused with her background in blues and gospel, they resound with tender, loving beauty.

Alice Coltrane, Kirtan: Turiya Sings

Tracklist & Credits - CD

Tracklist & Credits - LP