Alice Coltrane’s spiritual journey to becoming Swamini Turiyasangitananda
Today, the ethereal tones of Alice Coltrane are treated with the kind of reverence that most artists could only dream of. A gifted harpist and piano master, Coltrane’s contributions to the jazz genre, specifically the spiritual style, cannot be overstated. However, there was once a time when Alice Coltrane was a virtual unknown, playing backing piano on a variety of records by her husband, John Coltrane, and existing predominantly within the shadows. That was until her spiritual rebirth, which led to the seminal release Journey in Satchidananda.
Coltrane had always been a talented musician, having trained in classical music before finding a particular penchant for jazz. In fact, it was through playing in a quartet with Terry Gibbs that she first met her future husband, John Coltrane. Her husband quickly became one of the defining figures of free jazz saxophone, and the couple were madly enamoured by each other. However, the intense success of her husband, along with the arrival of children, meant that Alice Coltrane’s impact on the jazz world was fading somewhat as the 1960s marched on.
Coupled with the difficulties of domesticity, Alice Coltrane’s husband, John, tragically passed away in 1967. All of a sudden, the jazz star was left without a husband, without any bandmates, and with four young children to raise entirely on her lonesome. As you might expect, this struggle only served to exacerbate Contrane’s pre-existing mental health issues and drive her further away from her true calling, music.
For Coltrane, her salvation came in the form of spiritualism. The pianist had always had something of a spiritual nature, but it was not until after the death of her husband that she devoted herself to this world fully. After experiencing depression, severe weight loss, and even hallucinations following the death of John Coltrane, the pianist was introduced to Swami Satchidananda, an Indian yoga guru who helped Coltrane find her spiritual path in life, energising her music career in the process.
Satchidananda had a profound effect on the musician, inspiring her to uproot and move to California to establish the Vedantic Center, which followed the teachings of Hinduism. It was during this period that Coltrane produced her finest work, including the groundbreaking spiritual jazz release that was Journey in Satchidananda.
Reflecting on the record, Coltrane once shared, “Direct inspiration for Journey in Satchidananda comes from my meeting and association with someone who is near and dear to me. I am speaking of my own beloved spiritual preceptor, Swami Satchidananda.”
“Swamiji is the first example I have seen in recent years of Universal Love or God in action,” Coltrane continued, singing the praises of her spiritual advisor. “He expresses an impersonal love, which encompasses thousands of people”.
Coltrane added: Anyone listening to this selection should try to envision himself floating on an ocean of Satchidanandaji’s love, which is literally carrying countless devotees across the vicissitudes and stormy blasts of life to the other shore.”
Clearly, the yoga master was instrumental in motivating Coltrane after the intense heartbreak and struggle of her husband’s death. According to the jazz musician, God himself inducted her into the sannyasa – the fourth ashram, or stage of life, in Hinduism – which caused her to adopt the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda, which she kept until her death in 2007.
