Carnegie Hall '71 is a live album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 21, 1971, and was released in 2018 by the Hi Hat label. On the album, Coltrane appears on piano and harp, and is joined by saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, bassists Jimmy Garrison and Cecil McBee, and drummers Ed Blackwell and Clifford Jarvis.[1][2][3]
| Carnegie Hall '71 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 2018 | |||
| Recorded | February 21, 1971 | |||
| Venue | Carnegie Hall, New York City | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Length | 28:35 | |||
| Label | Hi Hat HHCD3093 | |||
| Alice Coltrane chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album, which consists of a single track documenting a performance of John Coltrane's "Africa", was recorded at a benefit for Swami Satchidanda's Integral Yoga Institute that also featured Laura Nyro and The New Rascals.[4][3] Regarding Coltrane's band, a concert reviewer for Billboard wrote: "This was one of the greatest assemblages to appear on the Carnegie Hall stage."[5]
In 2021, the album was reissued by the Alternative Fox label with the title Live at Carnegie Hall, 1971.[6]
In 2024, Impulse! Records released a recording of Coltrane's full set, titled The Carnegie Hall Concert.[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |    [8] |
In a review for All About Jazz, Chris May wrote: "The performance has much of the ferocity of the original recording, Africa / Brass," but noted that "Sanders and Shepp cannot match the massed intensity of the original frontline."[8]
Tyler Wilcox of Pitchfork called the album "a wild, extended roller coaster ride through John's 'Africa,' featuring bracing solos from Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp," and commented: "Carnegie Hall would never be the same."[9]
A reviewer for Doom and Gloom from the Tomb commented: "It's an intense ride, as perhaps is obvious from the players involved! Recording quality is excellent, capturing an historic occasion."[10]
A writer for Pan African Music stated that the album "is a splendid and ecstatic memento of spiritual jazz with some of its greatest masters. The splitting horns, wild drums, and clamouring piano are a vivid display of virtuosity in motion."[11]
Track listing
edit- "Africa" (John Coltrane) – 28:35
Personnel
edit- Alice Coltrane – piano, harp
- Pharoah Sanders – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, percussion
- Archie Shepp – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, percussion
- Jimmy Garrison – bass
- Cecil McBee – bass
- Ed Blackwell – drums
- Clifford Jarvis – drums
- Kumar Kramer – harmonium
- Tulsi – tamboura
References
edit- ^ "Alice Coltrane - Carnegie Hall '71". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "Impulse! Records Discography: 1971-1972". JazzDisco.org. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Alice Coltrane: Carnegie Hall '71 (LP)". Obiterdictum. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ Kort, Michele (2016). Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro. St. Martin's Publishing Group.
- ^ Glassenberg, Bob (March 13, 1971). "Talent in Action". Billboard. p. 28.
- ^ Rugoff, Lazlo (October 28, 2021). "Alice Coltrane's 1971 Carnegie Hall performance reissued". Vinyl Factory. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "Alice Coltrane - The Carnegie Hall Concert". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ a b May, Chris (December 18, 2019). "Alice Coltrane: Carnegie Hall '71". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ Wilcox, Tyler (June 13, 2018). "Inside Alice Coltrane's Stunning, Spiritual Musical Quest". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ ""Africa" - Alice Coltrane, Carnegie Hall, NYC, 1972". Doom and Gloom from the Tomb. August 27, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
- ^ "Alice Coltrane's Africa: Live At The Carnegie Hall 1971 reissued". Pan African Music. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2022.