Illuminations (Alice Coltrane and Carlos Santana album)
Illuminations is a 1974 collaboration between Alice Coltrane and Carlos Santana. Jazz musicians Jules Broussard, Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland also contributed to the record, on saxophone, flute, drums and bass.
Illuminations | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 1974 | |||
Genre | Free jazz | |||
Length | 35:40 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Turiya Alice Coltrane, Devadip Carlos Santana, Tom Coster | |||
Carlos Santana chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Christgau's Record Guide | C–[2] |
Alice Coltrane performs on harp, piano, and Wurlitzer organ and arranged and conducted the string section. Carlos Santana (whose Indian name "Devadip" appears on the sleeve, as Alice's Turiya) plays electric guitar in a minimal style, using feedback, long notes and simple melodies and lending much space to the other instruments. The album is conceived as an instrumental jazz album, with lengthy solos on guitar, saxophone and keyboards.
The introduction to "Angel of Air", with its violins, has been sampled by the Cinematic Orchestra. It is his first of three solo albums (the others being Oneness and The Swing of Delight) to be released under his temporary Sanskrit name Devadip Carlos Santana, given to him by Sri Chinmoy.
In addition, the usual 2 channel stereo version of the album was also released in 1974 by Columbia Records in a 4 channel quadraphonic version.
Later releases
Remix
In 2001, Bill Laswell, responsible for remixes of albums by Bob Marley and Miles Davis, mixed and remixed excerpts of Santana's Illuminations and Love Devotion Surrender,[3] on an album called Divine Light.[4]
In 2017, a reissue of the album was released by Dutton Vocalion in the UK on the Super Audio CD format containing both the stereo and quadraphonic mixes.
Track listing
Side one
- "Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism" (S.Chinmoy) - 1:11
- "Angel of Air / Angel of Water" (Coster-Santana) - 9:55
- "Bliss: the Eternal Now" (A. Coltrane) - 5:33
Side two
- "Angel of Sunlight" (Coster-Santana) - 14:43
- "Illuminations" (Coster-Santana) - 4:18
Personnel
- Alice Coltrane - Piano, Harp, Wurlitzer Organ (on track B1)
- Carlos Santana - Guitar
- Dave Holland - Double Bass (on tracks A2, B1)
- James Bond - Bass
- Jack DeJohnette - Drums and Percussion (on tracks A2, B1)
- Tom Coster - Electric Piano and Hammond Organ (on tracks A2, B1-2)
- Jules Broussard - Flute, Soprano Saxophone (on tracks A2, B1)
- Phil Brown - Tanpura (on track B1)
- Armando Peraza - Congas (on track B1)
- Phil Ford - Tablas (on track B1)
- String section arranged and conducted by Alice Coltrane
- Murray Adler - Violin, concert master
- Ron Folsom - Violin
- Bill Henderson - Violin
- Nathan Kaproff - Violin
- Gordon Marron - Violin
- Paul Shure - Violin
- Charles Veal - Violin
- Anne Goodman - Cello
- Glenn Grab - Cello
- Jackie Lustgarten - Cello
- Fred Seykora - Cello
- Marilyn Baker - Viola
- Myer Bello - Viola
- Rollice Dale - Viola
- Alan Harshman - Viola
- Myra Kestenbaum - Viola
- David Schwartz - Viola
References
- Ruhlmann, William. Illuminations at AllMusic
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 12, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- "DiscsEtc: Music CDs". The Independent. 2001-09-16. p. 14.
- Broecking, Christian (2001-07-11). "Instant Karma: Sci-Fi-Jazz und andere Fusionen - Barbecue im Raumschiff". Die Tageszeitung. Retrieved 2009-06-24.