Alice Coltrane Ptah the El Daoud (Verve By Request Series) 180g LP

Recorded in the basement studio of the Coltrane home in 1970, Alice Coltrane's fourth album is a masterpiece of spiritual jazz. The title track is an ode to the Egyptian God Ptah (the El Daoud meaning "the beloved"). Moments on the album reach what Coltrane defined the term Turiya as "a state of consciousness - the high state of Nirvana, the goal of human life." Verve By Request Series features transfers from analog tapes, remastered on 180-gram vinyl, and pressed at Third Man in Detroit.

Jazz fans didn't need any reminders about the greatness of Alice Coltrane. That fact was firmly established decades ago when she established herself as a musical force to be reckoned with during her time playing with Terry Gibbs and her husband John. But the steady stream of re-releases that have been arriving in record stores of late have been a wonderful expression of her greatness as a composer and performer. The latest to hit the market is a reissue of Ptah, The El Daoud, Alice's 1970 album, and a gentle explosion of spiritual consciousness in musical form. Recorded at her home studio on Long Island with support from Pharoah Sanders, Ron Carter, Joe Henderson and Ben Riley, the four tracks are a long meditative hum with the two tenor sax players and Alice slowly tangling and untangling into melodic mandalas. Adding the dashes of color and glitter are the rhythm section of Riley and Carter, veteran players apply the perfect amount of pressure and release throughout.