Alice Coltrane just died.
Alice Coltrane, born Alice McLeod (
August 27,
1937), was an
American jazz pianist,
organist,
harpist, and
composer.
Born in
Detroit, Michigan, Coltrane studied
classical music, and was given piano lessons by
Bud Powell. She began playing jazz as a professional in Detroit, with her own trio and as a duo with
vibist Terry Pollard. From 1962 to 1963 she played with
Terry Gibbs's quartet, during which time she met
John Coltrane. She played piano with his group from 1965 until his death in 1967, and married him in 1966. In addition to John becoming step-father to Alice's daughter Miki, they had three children:
drummer John Jr., and
saxophonists Oran and
Ravi. John Jr. died in a car crash at the beginning of the 1980s.
Since her husband's death she continued to play with her own groups, moving into more and more meditative music, and recently playing with her children. She was one of the few harpists in the history of jazz. In the early 1970s, after years of involvement with Eastern religion, Coltrane took the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda. She was a devotee of the
Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba. She still performed under the name of Alice Coltrane, however, up until her death in January 2007.
Solo-album discography
(In order of recording.)