Journey in Satchidananda | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1971[1] | |||
Recorded | July 4 ("Isis and Osiris") and November 8 (studio tracks), 1970 | |||
Venue | Village Gate (track B2) | |||
Studio | Coltrane home studios, Dix Hills, New York (tracks A1–B1) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 37:06 | |||
Label | Impulse! | |||
Producer | Alice Coltrane, Ed Michel | |||
Alice Coltrane chronology | ||||
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Journey in Satchidananda is the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane, released in February 1971 on Impulse! Records. The first four tracks were recorded at Coltrane's home studio in Dix Hills, New York, in November 1970, while "Isis and Osiris" was recorded live at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village in July of that year. Coltrane is joined on the album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassists Cecil McBee and Charlie Haden, and drummer Rashied Ali. Vishnu Wood also appears on oud on "Isis and Osiris", while the studio recordings also feature Majid Shabazz on percussion and Tulsi on tanpura.[2][3]
Journey in Satchidananda marks a transition between Coltrane's first three albums and her subsequent releases, which reveal a more personalized outlook.[4] The album's title and title track reflect the influence of Swami Satchidananda Saraswati, whom Coltrane had studied under and become close to.[5]
"Shiva-Loka", or "realm of Shiva", refers to Shiva's role as the third member of the Hindu trinity, the "dissolver of creation". "Stopover Bombay" refers to a five-week stay in India and Sri Lanka on which Coltrane was due to go in December 1970. "Something About John Coltrane" is based on themes by her late husband. "Isis and Osiris" demonstrates Coltrane's interest in Middle Eastern and North African music and culture. The presence of the tanpura reflects Coltrane's interest in Indian classical music and religion.[6]