Journey in Satchidananda

Journey in Satchidanandais the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist and harpistAlice Coltrane,released in February 1971 onImpulse! Records.The first four tracks were recorded atColtrane's home studioinDix Hills, New York,in November 1970, while "Isis and Osiris" was recorded live at theVillage GateinGreenwich Villagein July of that year. Coltrane is joined on the album by saxophonistPharoah Sanders,bassistsCecil McBeeandCharlie Haden,and drummerRashied Ali.Vishnu Woodalso appears onoudon "Isis and Osiris", while the studio recordings also feature Majid Shabazz on percussion and Tulsi ontanpura.

Journey in Satchidananda
Studio albumby Alice Coltrane
Released	February 1971
Recorded	July 4 ( "Isis and Osiris" ) and November 8 (studio tracks), 1970
Venue	Village Gate(track B2)
Studio	Coltrane home studios,Dix Hills, New York (tracks A1–B1)
Genre	Spiritual jazz modal jazz avant-garde jazz
Length	37:06
Label	Impulse!
Producer	Alice Coltrane, Ed Michel
Alice Coltranechronology
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970) Journey in Satchidananda (1971) Universal Consciousness (1972)

Journey in Satchidanandamarks a transition between Coltrane's first three albums and her subsequent releases, which reveal a more personalized outlook.The album's title and title track reflect the influence ofSwami Satchidananda Saraswati,whom Coltrane had studied under and become close to.

"Shiva-Loka", or "realm ofShiva",refers to Shiva's role as the third member of theHindu trinity,the "dissolver of creation". "Stopover Bombay" refers to a five-week stay in India and Sri Lanka on which Coltrane was due to go in December 1970. "Something AboutJohn Coltrane"is based on themes by her late husband." Isis and Osiris "demonstrates Coltrane's interest in Middle Eastern and North African music and culture. The presence of thetanpurareflects Coltrane's interest inIndian classical musicand religion.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
Pitchfork	10/10
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide

The editors ofAllMusicawarded the album five of five stars, with Thom Jurek stating: "This is a remarkable album, and necessary for anyone interested in the development ofmodalandexperimental jazz.It's also remarkably accessible. "

The album was ranked number 446 in the 2020 edition ofRolling Stonemagazine's500 Greatest Albums of All Timelist. The editors of the list deemed it "a meditative bliss-out like jazz had never seen: part earthy blues and part ethereal mantra, and a potent influence on sonic seekers fromRadioheadto Coltrane's grandnephewFlying Lotus."

Pitchfork's Josephine Livingstone gave the album a perfect score, noting that it "pays full tribute to the transformation that [Coltrane] underwent in the late 1960s—as a human being and artist...the very texture ofJourneyis defined by transition, process, and flow. Its music has no beginning or end. Instead...Coltrane is working with the principle of looping and transcendence. "

Writing for Treble, and referring to the loss of Coltrane's husband, Emma Bauchner remarked: "Journey in Satchidanandafeels like a culmination of sorts: a collision of loss with newfound understanding and self-expression. The music occupies the liminal spaces between East and West, post-bop and raga, grief and healing, consciousness and transcendence... More than anything,Journey in Satchidananda's magnificent soundscapes carry a deep sense of healing, reflecting Coltrane's own journey and subsequent transformation in the face of grief. "

In an article forThe Guardian,Jennifer Lucy Allan described the album as "a mid-point between the modal and meditative, where all the parts of her musical being and biography are present," and wrote: "It ought strictly to be called fusion music, with elements taken from Indian music and combined with western traditions, but in Coltrane’s music there are no visible joins – all is bound in cosmic opulence."

Colleen Murphy of Classical Album Sundays described the album as "a truly deep, far out, transformative listening experience," and remarked: "you may also temporarily achieve a higher state of consciousness while listening to this album. Take the journey."

NPR's Sydnee Monday stated: "Almost 50 years afterJourney In Satchidanandawas released, the album remains a vision of universal healing, spiritual self-preservation in times of trouble and the god that appears when you seek her out. "

Track listing

All compositions by Alice Coltrane.

Side A

1. "Journey in Satchidananda" – 6:39
2. "Shiva-Loka" – 6:37
3. "Stopover Bombay" – 2:54

Side B

1. "Something About John Coltrane" – 9:44
2. "Isis and Osiris" – 11:49

Personnel

tracks A1 to B1

• Alice Coltrane– harp(A1, A2),piano(A3, B1)
• Pharoah Sanders– soprano saxophone, percussion
• Cecil McBee– double bass
• Rashied Ali– drums
• Tulsi Sen Gupta –tanpura
• Majid Shabazz –bells,tambourine

track B2

• Alice Coltrane– harp
• Pharoah Sanders– soprano saxophone, percussion
• Rashied Ali– drums
• Charlie Haden– double bass
• Vishnu Wood–oud

Charts

Chart performance forJourney in Satchidananda

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Greek Albums (IFPI)	63