Free jazz meets Stravinsky
C. Oberst | Arlington, VA United States | 02/15/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Is this very expensive Japanese reissue worth getting? It sure is.
Alice Coltrane's series of albums for Impulse Records in the late '60s and early '70s can basically be broken down into two groups. The first group are the more jazz-oriented efforts she made before 1971, and then the last three from 1971-73, which are an unusual mix of jazz, strings, and spiritualism. These last three albums followed in the wake of Alice's tour of India with her guru at the end of 1970, which was clearly a life-changing event.
The first album of this trio, "Universal Consciousness", features very edgy orchestrations by Alice in collaboration with Ornette Coleman. Featuring Alice's debut on Yamaha electric organ, which she made into a very unique voice for many years thereafter, this album retains a jazz feel while venturing into uncharted waters. There is a very hard edge to this music--an almost frantic spiritual longing.
"World Galaxy", the next album, by contrast, features a much heavier string presence and has an almost classical feel (though not as much so as the next album, "Lord of Lords"). This is absolutely unique music, where Alice creates a fusion of things that normally wouldn't go together, all the while retaining her distinctive solo voice on piano, harp, and organ.
The last two tracks feature new takes on her classic piece "Journey in Satchidananda" (this one called "Galaxy in Satchidananda") and a section of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme". The string arrangements give a relaxing, meditative feel to this music, with Alice's guru Swami Satchidananda giving a recitation on the latter track.
As much as I love this album, I wouldn't recommend it as the starting point into Alice's music--if for no other reason than it costs almost $40.00. Not everyone is going to be on Alice's wavelength, and I would recommend "Universal Consciousness" (available domestically at reasonable cost) as the first step in checking out this part of Alice's career. "World Galaxy" is also not as overtly jazz-oriented, so someone looking for the Alice of the "Journey in Satchidananda" album might be disappointed. She'd moved on to deeper, more esoteric territory with this album.
The packaging is the typical Japanese mini-sleeve, which is a faithful reproduction of the LP gatefold, and of course that the notes on the inner gatefold almost require a magnifying glass. The notes on the insert are all in Japanese, as typical, and so do me no good.
If you already are a fan--maybe you have the LP--then I'm sure you'll agree that the cost is worth it to acquire such unique and special music. It would be nice if Impulse Records could release Alice's entire catalog on CD in the USA, though."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1