Alice Coltrane World Galaxy Zipper
A respected yet divisive figure who was scorned by the jazz mainstream for most of her life, was one of the most complicated and misunderstood of all 20th-century musicians. In this century‚ however‚ her music has grown in stature‚ and one can now hear echoes of her influence everywhere‚ from ’s juxtaposition of timbres and textures to ’s harp playing to the twisted astral beats of her great-nephew Stephen Ellison, aka. While her late husband ’s discography remains titanic in modern jazz, Alice’s own albums are equally compelling and mysterious, suggesting a musical form that moves away from jazz and into a unique sonic realm that draws on classical Indian instrumentation, atonal modern orchestration, and homemade religious synth music. The adventurous nature and spiritual import of her work continues to resonate through New Age, jazz, and experimental electronic music of all stripes. Alice used a number of names throughout her career, and collectively they chart a path of self-realization.
