Alice Coltrane, RIP

January 13, 2007 11:12 AM

Well-sourced rumors say that Alice Coltrane, a deeply spiritual and provocative musician in her own right, and the widow of John Coltrane, has died. It's not in the news yet. Alice's harp-inflected modal meditations and oceanic piano playing were not for everyone, but her album "Ptah, the El Daoud" -- featuring Pharaoh Sanders, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, and Ben Riley -- is a jewel, and would make fine listening today to wish her safe passage through the bardo. Other fine albums of Alice's include "Journey in Satchidananda" and "A Monastic Trio."
posted by digaman (14 comments total)

Bummer, if true. She had some pretty heavy albums... I just got Universal Consciousness and it might even be too deep for my eclectic tastes.
posted by milnak at 11:15 AM on January 13, 2007

Her official website. Still no news there yet either.
posted by digaman at 11:16 AM on January 13, 2007

She was still playing beautifully in November in San Francisco, according to this blogger.
posted by digaman at 11:21 AM on January 13, 2007

thanks for the post.
posted by nola at 11:26 AM on January 13, 2007

There is a high-quality bootleg of Alice playing with John, Pharoah, Jimmy Garrison, and Rashid Ali downloadable for free here. Live at Temple University, Philadelphia, November 11, 1966. Note the corrected tracklist.
posted by digaman at 11:37 AM on January 13, 2007

Jeez! Deathfilter has gone insane. I know you want to be the first to post this stuff, but can you at least wait until it's no longer rumor?
posted by caddis at 11:38 AM on January 13, 2007

I don't post unless I have good sources, caddis. I'm not infallible, but my credibility in this regard is generally good.
posted by digaman at 11:43 AM on January 13, 2007

my credibility in this regard is generally good.

Maybe so, and maybe you're right this time — but that's irrelevant, because this isn't a personal "You shouldn't do this" issue. It shouldn't be done, period. Flagged.
posted by cribcage at 11:51 AM on January 13, 2007

Point taken, but Roy Haynes, the supreme jazz drummer who played with Alice on many of her recordings and on her recent tour, announced her death at the 34th conference of the International Association for Jazz Education in New York City yesterday. Just sayin'.
posted by digaman at 11:56 AM on January 13, 2007

Elvin Jones's "death" was announced several times, including during an SFJAZZ concert and once by Dave Liebman, in the weeks before he actually died. It happens.

Again, nobody's saying that you're necessarily wrong in this case — just that it's not OK to spread these rumors without confirmation.
posted by cribcage at 12:11 PM on January 13, 2007

A friend of mine decided to fuck with Ted Leo a few years back and told him that Huey Lewis had died in a car crash earlier that afternoon. Ted Leo then proceeded to announce Huey's death onstage at SXSW and dedicated his set to him. Good times!
posted by dhammond at 12:15 PM on January 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

Anybody else, I'd be hauling out the pitchfork, but I trust digaman. Thanks for the post unless it turns out to be wrong, in which case the pitchfork's comin' out...
posted by languagehat at 12:16 PM on January 13, 2007

Harry Connick reportedly did the same thing during the Elvin Jones rumors — announced it onstage, and then played a tribute to Elvin.
posted by cribcage at 12:17 PM on January 13, 2007

Feel free to turn this topic into a celebration of Alice's music while we wait for the AP. Her music is worth celebrating.
posted by digaman at 12:23 PM on January 13, 2007