Alice Coltrane 90th Anniversary - Ravi Coltrane’s Translinear Light

Alice Coltrane (1937-2007)

Pianist, organist, harpist, singer, composer, and swamini (spiritual teacher) Alice Coltrane has held and continues to hold a unique place within jazz. Raised in Detroit, where she played organ in church among other things, she performed in the early part of her career with greats such as Kenny Burrell, Pharaoh Sanders, and Carlos Santana. She also became part of her husband John Coltrane's quartet. Her love for gospel, classical music, jazz, and improvisation led her to a sound entirely her own. In the 1970s, she shifted her focus to the spiritual path. She traveled to India, among other places, and, as Turiyasangitananda, dedicated a part of her life to meditation and prayer, throughout which music continued to play a supporting role. In 2000, she returned to the recording studio; her last album was Translinear Light from 2004, produced by her son Ravi. This album takes center stage tonight during a tribute to Alice Coltrane by Ravi and harpist Brandee Younger.

Ravi Coltrane

Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Ravi Coltrane has released several influential albums over the past twenty years, played with greats such as McCoy Tyner and Jack DeJohnette, and founded the independent label RKM. As the son of jazz icons John and Alice Coltrane, he played a key role in his mother's musical return and produced her album Translinear Light in 2004. Ravi has since released six albums under his own name, the most recent being Spirit Fiction on Blue Note. He is also actively committed to preserving the John Coltrane House in Dix Hills, New York.

Brandee Younger

Adventurous harpist Brandee Younger made history in 2022 as the first Black woman to be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Instrumental Composition category. In 2024, she won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album with Brand New Life . She has collaborated with artists such as Lauryn Hill, Common, and Christian McBride, and her music was featured in Beyoncé's Homecoming . Alice Coltrane is a major inspiration to Younger in her ambition to expand the role of the harp within jazz and popular music.