Le Guess Who? 2017 celebrated the life & work of Alice Coltrane with the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers performing her ecstatic music live at the festival. Listen to three tracks of the performan...
Le Guess Who? 2017 celebrated the life & work of Alice Coltrane with the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers performing her ecstatic music live at the festival. Listen to three tracks of the performance below, including a special guest appearance by saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings on 'Universal Chant':
About the project:
Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s devotion to spirituality defined the final decades of her life. In 1983, she established the 48-acre Sai Anantam Ashram outside of LA, where she quietly began recording music. In 2017, Luaka Bop (the label founded by David Byrne) released the first compilation of recordings from this period: a powerful, largely unheard body of work that finds Alice singing for the first time.
The release showcases a diverse array of recordings, including performances on harp, with small ensembles, and a 24-piece vocal choir. Le Guess Who? featured the European premiere of these recordings performed live by the Sai Anantam Ashram Singers, to bring this meaningful piece of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda’s legacy into focus.
Line-up:
Surya Botofasina - Keys
Radha Reyes(Choir Leader)
Isabel C. Belloso
Ekene A. Botofasina
Sandhya Sangeeta (Tamal Soloist)
Arianna Gouveia
Jaya Lakshmi Moss
Purushattama C. Hickson
Sri Hari Moss
Sharon Womack-Freeman
Laxmi Myers
Shyam Tony Reyes
Michelle Coltrane
Joe Blaxx - Drums
Shabaka Hutchings - Saxophone on 'Universal Chant'
Recorded by Marc Broer at Le Guess Who? 2017 on Sunday, 12 November. Recordings made in cooperation with VPRO / Vrije Geluiden.
News item photography by Ben Houdijk; album cover photo by Jelmer de Haas.
