Journey in Satchidananda is an album by African-American jazz pianist and harpist, Alice Coltrane.
Released in 1971, it was named after her spiritual advisor Swami Satchidananda, who Coltrane was introduced to by bassist Vishnu Wood answould see frequently following the death of her husband, John Coltrane. It would see Coltrane blending her interest in Indian and North African music with the modal jazz of her previous records, featuring new instruments within her compositions such as the oud and tampura. While also finding her developing the spiritual concepts she had explored with John, while also expanding upon them.
Journey in Satchidananda would later be considered a quintessential record within the "spiritual jazz" movement with it (and other Alice Coltrane albums such as World Galaxy) being considered spiritual successors to John Coltrane's late work. The record would also be listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, ranking number 446 in the 2020 edition.
Tracklist
Side A- "Journey in Satchidananda" (6:39)
- "Shiva-Loka" (6:37)
- "Stopover Bombay" (2:54)
Side B
- "Something About John Coltrane" (9:44)
- "Isis and Osiris" (11:49)
Personnel
- Alice Coltrane – piano, harp
- Pharoah Sanders – soprano saxophone, percussion
- Cecil McBee – double bass
- Charlie Haden - double bass (on "Isis and Osiris")
- Rashied Ali – drums
- Tulsi Reynolds – tanpura
- Majid Shabazz – bells, tambourine
- Vishnu Wood - oud (on "Isis and Osiris)
Something About Tropes
- Avant-Garde Music
- Epic Rocking: Only one track doesn't break the five minute mark on this record.
- Face on the Cover: The album cover is just Alice sitting down in a religious garb.
- Hinduism: The record contains heavy references and themes from the religion as she began to practice not to long after meeting with the yogi this album was named after.
- Instrumentals: The entire album is full of them. Justified since it is a jazz album.
- Jazz: The record would become particularly lauded within free jazz and avant-garde circles, with it being considered a seminal release from "spiritual jazz".
- Location Song: "Shiva-Loka", which literally translates to "realm of Shiva" one of the principal Hindu deities said to be the lord of the universe (i.e. his realm).
- "Stopover Bombay" refers to a five-week stay in India and Sri Lanka on which Coltrane went on in December 1970.
- Longest Song Goes Last: "Isis and Osiris" is the final track and the longest, being 10 seconds shy of twelve minutes.
- New Sound Album: This album would see Alice furthering the ethnic musical influences in her style, incorporating elements from Hindustani classical music and North African musical motifs.
- One-Man Song: "Something about John Coltrane"
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Spiritual Successor: Alongside Pharaoh Sanders' Karma, this record is seen as a continuation of the spiritual and musical concepts first displayed by John Coltrane on A Love Supreme. - Title Track: "Journey in Satchidananda"
