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Monument Eternal: The Music of Alice Coltrane

2012; Volume: 8; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.21083/csieci.v8i1.2056

1712-0624

Kara Attrep,

Theater, Performance, and Music History

It's not far, yes close by Through an open door Work all done, care laid by Going to fear no more Mother's there expecting me Father's waiting, too Lots of folk gathered there All the friends I knew I'm going home 1 Alice Coltrane's music and spiritual life were intertwined.This connection between music and spirituality is the focus of Franya Berkman's ethnomusicological biography of Coltrane, Monument Eternal: The Music of Alice Coltrane.The book focuses on Coltrane in a holistic manner-one that has long been overdue for a musician who was so often in the shadow of her famous husband.While fans of Alice Coltrane's music have followed her career throughout the years, many listeners know little about her life, musical endeavors, or spiritual leadership.Berkman admits to her own initial lack of knowledge of Coltrane and her music in the introduction to the book, noting that she was first exposed to Coltrane not via John Coltrane's later albums (on which Alice was a sidewoman) but instead through a tape of Coltrane's religious music played during a yoga session.Although this introduction to a musician as accomplished as Alice Coltrane may seem strange, Berkman's careful analysis of her life and work illuminates why Coltrane has, at times, gone overlooked in the music world.Yet, at the heart of this study is not an attempt to "rescue" Coltrane from the past; rather, it is a contemporary investigation into an influential and enduringly relevant musician.