On July 16th Impulse! Records/UMe, will release an intimate, spiritual recording made by Alice Coltrane, as part of the label's 60th anniversary celebration. Recorded in 1981 and never shared in this form with the world, Kirtan: Turiya Sings is a collection of nine devotional songs, featuring the never-before-heard combination of Alice Coltrane's voice and organ.
While many people know Alice as wife and musical partner to John Coltrane, she is revered in the jazz community for her contributions to spiritual jazz. Throughout the 1970s, Alice was immersing herself in Eastern philosophies, mythologies, and Vedic religious practices. By the early 1980s, she had become a guru and spiritual teacher and began to make music exclusively for her community at The Vedantic Center, northwest of Los Angeles.
Originally released on cassette for just her students, her son, Ravi Coltrane, rediscovered the mixes in 2004. Ravi notes, "In this setting I felt the greatest sense of her passion, devotion and exaltation in singing these songs in praise of the Supreme. In that moment, I knew people needed to hear Turiya Sings in this context." Ravi continues, "as her son, growing up and hearing her playing these songs on the very same Wurlitzer you hear on this recording, I recognize this choice maintains the purity and essence of Alice's musical and spiritual vision. In many ways, this new clarity brings these chants to an even higher place."
Kirtan: Turiya Sings was mixed by Steve Genewick and mastered by Kevin Reeves from original 24-track masters. This is the same team that worked with Ravi on Alice Coltrane's last album, 2004's Translinear Light. The album will be available on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming, as well as hi-res streaming in studio quality sound, and can be pre-ordered.
Check out the youtube video for the first single, Krishna Krishna.
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