ALICE COLTRANE

RADHA-KRSHNA NAMA SANKIRTANA

  1/  Govinda Jai Jai                            (Traditional)                 5.44
  2/  Ganesha                                    (Traditional)                 2.42
  3/  Prema Muditha                              (Traditional)                 4.32
  4/  Hare Krishna                               (Traditional)                 5.53
  5/  Om Namah Sivaya                            (Traditional)                 18.59

          Recorded at The Record Plant, Sausalito, California and The Village
            Recorder, Los Angeles, California
          Mixed at The Village Recorder
          Engineered by Baker Bigsby
          Assistants at The Record Plant: Rich Ehrman and Don DiGirolamo
          Assistants at The Village Recorder: Gilmar Fortis, Wendi Bluth & Ken Klinger
          Produced under the direction of Alice Coltrane by Ed Michel
          Mastered at Kendun Recorders, Burbank
Alice Coltrane: organ (1,3,4,5), piano (3), harp (2), percussion (3), Fender Rhodes electric piano (1); Sita Coltrane (2): tamboura; Arjuna John Coltrane Jr. (5): drums; Jagadaya: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Sarada Devi: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Saishwar Roberts: vocal (1,4), percussion (1), handclaps (1); Brahmajyoti Lee: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Purushattama Hickson: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Shankari : vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Mahashakti: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Rudrishya Pace: vocal (1,4), handclaps (1), percussion (1); Ramakrishna: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Sarasvati King: vocal (1,3,4), percussion (1,3), handclaps (1); Shanti Kuronen: vocal (1,4), percussion (1), handclaps (1).

          1977 - Warner Bros. (USA), BS 2986 (Vinyl)

REVIEWS :

Radha ­ Krsna Nama Sankirtana was recorded in August 1976, nine months before Transcendence which could be considered a sister work. It kicks off in similar vein to the second half of the latter with a groovy, gospel influenced, but fairly disposable percussion/choir/organ chantalong. "Ganesha" follows: a delicious, but all too brief (2 mins 44 secs) harp/tamboura duet with Sita Coltrane on the latter instrument. A couple more chants follow.

Then it happens: a duet featuring Alice on organ and her son, Arjuna John Coltrane Jr, on drums. It stretches on for a gorgeous nineteen minutes that stand a mile out in terms of event, exploration, inter-communication. Itıs camouflaged well though: for one thing, its title ("Om Namah Sivaya" sits snugly with the others: "Hare Krishna", "Ganesha", etc; for another it starts off fairly straightforwardly, almost cheesily (I don't know what type of organ it is, but it sounds cheap!) stating the theme a number of times, then launching off into pitchbending improvisation underpinned by much pumping of the bass pedals.

If a burglar stole the first four tracks from this cd in the night, I doubt whether I'd mind, but take that fifth track and I'll be calling the cops. On Illuminations, Alice's 1974 duet album with Carlos Santana there is a gorgeous freakout ("Angel of Sunlight") with Jack deJohnette and Dave Holland that sits like a jewel upon a pillow of gentle, devotional music. Similar case here with Radha: suddenly music that makes you sit up and take notice. For this track alone - recommended.

Colin Buttimer (courtesy of the BBC website)