On 21 February 1971, Alice Coltrane took to the stage at New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of a benefit concert performance to raise funds for the Integral Yoga Institute, an enterprise that was run by her (since disgraced) Indian guru teacher Swami Satchidananda – after whom her Journey In Satchidananda album, released the same year, was dedicated. The group comprised a stellar cast of jazz musicians who had previously played on sessions with Alice and her late husband John, plus two of Satchidananda’s circle on harmonium and tamboura.

As this noble two-disc release clearly testifies, this was a special, almost sacred, evening for both the audience and the players involved. For Alice Coltrane, who had long been in mourning after the death of her husband in 1967, this was her opportunity to make a fresh start and show the world that she was an equally creative artist and musician.

The atmosphere throughout the first record in the set is one of spiritual bliss where Coltrane’s harp is the principal instrument, as she lets loose shimmering waves of ethereal notes while the rest of the group respectfully merge together and take part. Guided along by a loping bass and drum beat, Pharoah Sanders’ roaming flute and Archie Shepp’s distant soprano sax flurries, the opening ‘Journey Into Satchidananda’ is quietly meditative, while the more lively ‘Shiva-Loka’ (both from her aforementioned album) has Sanders and Shepp blowing harder over bass, drums and Coltrane’s ecstatic swirling harp formations.

Disc two is formed of two John Coltrane compositions from his 1961 Africa/Brass and 1966 Infinity periods, with Alice shifting from harp to piano. On both ‘Africa’ and ‘Leo’ the spiritual flow of the previous set is replaced with a harder-edged jazz vibe, as both horn players switch from their sultry sopranos to more raw sounding tenor outbursts – replete with involved solos from drummers Ed Blackwell and, on ‘Leo’, Clifford Jarvis. Both tracks act as a fitting and honourable tribute to John Coltrane and are given a suitably receptive roar of approval from the audience.

Further illuminated with detailed explanatory sleevenotes from writer Lauren Du Graf and a personalised memoir of the performance by former Impulse! Records house producer Ed Michel, Live At Carnegie Hall expertly succeeds in bringing this important episode in Alice Coltrane’s musical ascension vividly back to life – to the point where you might possibly believe you were there on that magical evening.