Recorded in 1971 at a benefit for the Integral Yoga Institute and released in full for the first time in 2024, The Carnegie Hall Concert includes four compositions, written by herself, and by her husband John Coltrane. Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is joined by saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, double bassists Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee, and drummers Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis.
Ms. Coltrane made her Carnegie Hall debut three years before, on April 14, 1968, in a program titled “Cosmic Music”, which was a de facto tribute her husband who died six month before. The concert took place amidst the national unrest, ten days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Coltrane would go on to perform at Carnegie Hall five more times, the last of which were back-to-back performances on September 21, 1984, alongside pianist Marilyn Crispell with saxophonist Sam Rivers and bassist Reggie Workman.
In May of 2025 Carnegie Hall presented The Celestial Songs of Alice Coltrane, a tribute concert honoring the life, legacy, and music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda. Featuring Ravi Coltrane, Michelle Coltrane, Brandee Younger, Flying Lotus, and the Sai Anantam Devotional Ensemble. (see video below)
To learn more about Alice Coltrane and to hear her music, visit the Carnegie Hall website, here.