Alice Coltrane described the period after her husband John’s death as ‘tapas’ - a Sanskrit word meaning ‘a painful and austere ordeal’. This avant-garde fusion of modal post-bop jazz and traditional Indian drone music is the process of grief writ large - teaming up with fellow members of her late husband’s band including ace drummer Rashied Ali and multiphonic saxophonist extraordinaire Pharoah Sanders. Together they pay tribute to John Coltrane’s life with a surprisingly accessible experimental Hindu jazz odyssey that incorporates the harp, the oud and the tanpura named after Alice’s spiritual king, Swami Satchidananda.
“Journey In Satchidananda” is listed as #446 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time which means it’s time for Liam Withnail and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd to enjoy it. They talk about everything from chocolate covered crisps to Ganesh, as well as Pharoah Sanders’ recent collaboration with the electronic musician Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, and the sexual assault allegations made against the titular swami. All that, plus Tattoo Woohoo/Tattoo Boohoo, Secret Posho, Unhinged YouTube Comment of the Week, and much much more. Enjoy!