Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana: Previously Unissued 1974 Recordings

On By Jeremy ErwinIn Features

Very few LPs radiate a level of spiritual grandeur quite like the 1974 summit between Alice Coltrane and Carlos Santana, Illuminations. With Coltrane’s harp and soaring orchestration, uncharacteristically patient, technically precise lead work from Santana, and an aura of calm, fluid interaction among a top-tier rhythm section anchored by Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, the album is equally humble and humbling. Aurally transcendent by design.

Illuminations was not necessarily new turf for Alice Coltrane, whose ascension toward a higher consciousness produced landmarks such as Journey in Satchidananda, Universal Consciousness and World Galaxy in the first half of the decade, but Carlos Santana’s turn toward the spiritual had been far more gradual. As albums from his namesake lineup drew deeper into the orbit of Bitches Brew-imbued fusion, it was his 1973 collaboration with Miles alum John McLaughlin, Love Devotion Surrender on which Santana dove headlong toward a higher plane.

“It was never for entertainment or show business. The goal for Alice Coltrane and John Coltrane – the aim, the trajectory, the goal and the purpose – was always to uplift, transform and illumine human consciousness.” 

Carlos Santana

So while Illuminations may have been a commercially questionable mile marker on Santana’s mid-70s transformative journey1, the collaboration was well-timed and executed – pairing an empathetic cast of players open to the concept of devoting themselves to a higher power.

A pair of documents has recently emerged to expand our understanding of this collaboration. The first, a 3-hour + 45-minute collection of newly discovered audio from the Illuminations sessions, including previously unknown compositions, stripped back tracking sessions, overdub reels, working tapes and a cache of alternate takes and mixes. It offers a wide-screen vision of the avenues this album could have taken: a more earth-bound collection rooted in free jazz and heavy fusion, or a pared-down, reflective journey aimed to guide listeners on an inner search. All that could have been is laid out here.

The second document, equally illuminating, is a previously un-circulated soundboard recording of a March 14, 1974 concert from the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco. The tape features spare devotional sets from John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana, sets from Alice Coltrane in both solo and trio settings, as well as ensemble performances of Illuminations material and more. 

Under the guidance of Tyler RH, aka Mr. Completely, I had the pleasure of reviewing these tapes before they entered circulation. Together, we identified instrumentation, personnel, song titles, and parsed the minutia of every take, version, and mix to the best of our combined knowledge. Still, many details of this material remain a mystery (e.g. who was the drummer in Coltrane’s trio for the live set?). If you have evidence that contradicts our assumptions or may expand our understanding of the material, please be in touch.

Illuminations Sessions

Get the tape: lossless / lossy

While exact recording dates are unknown, the Illuminations sessions commenced in early 1974 at CBS Studios San Francisco (formerly Coast Recorders). The embryonic state of some of the material on this collection suggests the album sessions preceded the March 14, 1974 Kabuki Theater set in which three Illuminations compositions are included – narrowing the recording dates within a timeframe of January through mid-March.

Provided by a generous anonymous collector, the Illuminations session tape included minimal information on its contents and with its individual tracks presented in no discernible sequence. After researching and parsing its contents, Mr. Completely and I sequenced the material for what we believe to be an optimal listening experience. The collection is presented in four sections:

Alternate Album
A selection of the best-sounding alternate takes, mixes and arrangements of the Illuminations material, presented in its original sequence (minus “Guru Sri Chinmoy Aphorism” album opener).

  1. Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 2 (alt mix, no strings)
  2. Bliss: The Eternal Now version 3 (alt take)
  3. Angel of Sunlight version 1 (alt mix)
  4. Illuminations version 1 (alt take)

Outtakes & Isolated Tracks
Previously unknown original compositions, a white-knuckled free improvisation, and a series of Alice Coltrane solo harp pieces.

  1. Untitled original outtake version 3 (slower speed v2 take)
  2. Untitled free improv version 1
  3. God Then
  4. Harp overdub version 1
  5. Harp overdub version 2
  6. Harp overdub version 3

Early Versions
Sketches, jams, and run-throughs of the album material in its earliest incarnation.

  1. Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 5 (alt take)
  2. Angel of Water coda jam version 1
  3. Angel of Water coda jam version 2
  4. Angel of Water arrangement session part 1
  5. Angel of Water arrangement session part 2

Extras
Additional alternate mixes and takes of the album material and outtakes, sequenced in alphabetical order.

  1. Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 3 (alt mix, no strings)
  2. Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 1 (alt mix)
  3. Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 4 (alt mix, incomplete)
  4. Angel of Water version 2 (alt mix)
  5. Bliss: The Eternal Now version 1 (alt mix)
  6. Bliss: The Eternal Now version 2 (alt mix)
  7. Bliss: The Eternal Now version 4 (alt take, shorter edit)
  8. Angel of Sunlight version 2 (intro alt mix)
  9. Angel of Sunlight version 3 (incomplete mix)
  10. Angel of Sunlight version 4 (alternate mix)
  11. Illuminations version 2 (alt mix)
  12. Illuminations version 3 (alt mix of v1)
  13. Untitled original outtake version 1
  14. Untitled original outtake version 2 (alt take)
  15. Untitled original outtake version 4 (alt edit)
  16. Untitled free improv version 2 (rough mix, flawed)

Liner Notes
The following notes on individual tracks are largely reproduced in the corresponding txt file, which also includes additional info on mastering and lineage. The notes below will be updated as new information about this collection comes to light, and should be considered the “master” source of info. Expect the txt file to be updated with less frequency.

  • All tracks noted as “alt mix” in the title are alternate mixes of the album takes.
  • If tracks are not noted individually here, the parenthetical notes in the title are all we know.
  • For a more cohesive listening experience, the tracks have been re-sequenced from the order in which the collection was originally received. The version number corresponds to the order in which the individual track appeared in the original sequence.

Notes on Alternate Album

  • Bliss: The Eternal Now version 3 (alt take) – Early/alternate take featuring only harp, electric guitar and Rhodes.
  • Angel of Sunlight version 1 – Alternate mix of album version with longer sitar intro and much longer fadeout than final cut.
  • Illuminations version 1 – Significantly different arrangement from album version.
  • Untitled original outtake version 3 – Possibly a collaborative piece that was dropped from the final album sequence. Riff is similar to “Something About John Coltrane” from the Journey in Satchidananda LP but the groove and pacing differ enough that it’s safe to consider this a separate, untitled composition. This version was chosen to run first simply because it sounds the best. It is the same as version 2 with a slightly different tape speed (a bit slower).

Notes on Outtakes & Isolated Tracks

  • Untitled free improv version 1 – Spontaneous composition denoted as “Take 1” in the talkback at :09. Not included on original LP sequence.
  • God Then – Previously unknown original featuring Santana vocal and unknown harmonium player (possibly Santana himself). Title positively ID’d via the Kabuki Theater tape.
  • Harp overdubs – These appear to be individual, isolated harp overdub sessions with changes roughly corresponding to those in Bliss, The Eternal Now. Though there’s heavy improvisation across all takes, a subtle theme appearing at :38 of version 1 is occasionally referenced throughout.

Notes On Early Versions

  • Angel of Air / Angel of Water version 5 (alt take) – Unknown take/complete run-through of Angel of Air / Angel of Water with electric guitar, Rhodes, flute and sax.
  • Angel of Water coda jam version 1 – Electric guitar and Rhodes jam/working session on the coda of “Angel of Water” (coda begins at 8:10 on LP version).
  • Angel of Water coda jam version 2 – Additional electric guitar, Rhodes and sax jam/working session on the coda of “Angel of Water”.
  • Angel of Water arrangement session part 1 – Early, truncated run-through of “Angel of Water” featuring electric guitar and Rhodes.
  • Angel of Water arrangement session part 2 – Early run-through of “Angel of Water” featuring electric guitar, Rhodes and sax. Santana can be heard giving instructions to the musicians, suggesting this is the song’s initial run-through. We left these in the order shown because that’s how they sat on the tape.

Notes on Extras

  • Angel of Sunlight version 2 – Percussion-forward mix with a lot of action across the stereo spectrum. Cuts after intro.
  • Angel of Sunlight version 3 – Alternate, incomplete mix of album take. Sub-par fidelity.
  • Angel of Sunlight version 4 – Complete take of album version with alternate mix and no fadeout.
  • Illuminations version 3 – Alternate mix of version 1 arrangement.
  • Untitled original outtake version 1 – Different take from Versions 2 and 3.
  • Untitled original outtake version 2 – Same take as version 3, slightly faster tape speed, sounds slightly rougher.
  • Untitled original outtake version 4 – This version is an oddity. The first portion of the track appears to be a different take than v1 or v2, however, Alice’s harp is identical to what is played toward the end of v2. Possibly a composite edit of various takes.
  • Untitled free improv version 2 (rough mix, flawed) – Alternate mix of version 1 with drastically different horn mix/placement. Sound quality is inferior to v1 and is incomplete w/dropouts.

Personnel

  • Guitar, Vocals, Wind Chimes, Composer — Carlos Santana
  • Harp, Acoustic Piano, Wurlitzer Organ, Composer — Alice Coltrane
  • Electric Piano, Hammond Organ — Tom Coster
  • Double Bass — Dave Holland
  • Drums, Percussion — Jack DeJohnette
  • Flute, Soprano Saxophone — Jules Broussard
  • Tambura — Phil Brown
  • Congas — Armando Peraza
  • Tablas — Phil Ford

3.14.1974: Live at the Kabuki Theater, San Francisco

Get the tape: lossless / lossy

Anchored by the trio of Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, Devadip Carlos Santana, and Turiya Alice Coltrane, this March 14, 1974 performance at San Fransisco’s Kabuki Theater stretches our map of the Illuminations universe into new turf. Billed in the Examiner was “an evening of spiritual music”, the multi-part set featured solo pieces, spare devotionals, free-form exploration and heavy doses of spiritual fusion, bridging the Illuminations material with the Santana + McLaughlin Love Devotion Surrender era that preceded it while offering glimpses of headier side quests left unexplored beyond this date.

The spare sets by McLaughlin and Santana that open the show are like little else in their respective catalogs – McLaughlin’s acoustic pieces lean toward those on his My Goal’s Beyond LP but accompanied by zither, harmonium and female voice, while Santana’s brief set (featuring harmonium and vocals by his partner) is heavy on hymnals. A beautiful setup to Coltrane’s portion of the evening, who lays down a pair of improvisations on harp and organ respectively before traveling deep into John Coltrane’s slow-burner, “Africa” in a spry trio config. Though the trio’s drummer is unclear, the presence of Reggie Workman in the electric band (as announced by McLaughlin later in the set) is likely the bassist – in a surprise twist, Workman played bass on Coltrane’s 1961 Africa/Brass session from which the tune first originated.

The final portion of the show features rare ensemble performances of Illuminations cuts, “Angel of Air”, “Angel of Water” and “Angel of Sunlight” as well as a pair of staples from Santana and McLaughlin’s joint ’73 tour. With Coltrane on harp and organ, and McLaughlin providing some extraordinarily subtle touches, the Illuminations material is treated with a sort of reverence unmatched by its studio counterparts. This delicate approach bleeds into the final numbers, in which McLaughlin is tentative to the point of inaudibility but Santana graciously picks up the slack, perhaps more comfortable on his home turf as his band stretches “Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord” to nearly half an hour.

Following McLaughlin’s stage introductions and a slow buildup to the vocal motif, our tape spools out just as “A Love Supreme” gains steam. A less-than-satisfying but fitting conclusion to an evening guided by forces unknown.

John McLaughlin and unknown accompanist (possibly Eve McLaughlin)
1. Devotion (guitar, zither, vocal)
2. As and So – poem and song (guitar, zither, vocal)
3. Guru (guitar, harmonium, vocal)

Carlos Santana and wife Deborah (introduced as Urmila)
4. song intros – Four Eyes (guitar, harmonium, vocals)
5. God Then (guitar, harmonium, vocals)
6. God Now (harmonium, vocals)

Alice Coltrane solo
7. Wurlitzer organ improv
8. Harp improv

Alice Coltrane trio
9. Africa (Alice Coltrane on Wurlitzer w/drums, bass)

Electric band
10. The Angel of Air*
11. The Angel of Water*
12. The Angel of Sunlight**
13. Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord
14. band intros (John McLaughlin)
15. A Love Supreme (cut)**

Electric band
Carlos Santana – guitar
John McLaughlin – guitar
Alice Coltrane – harp*, Wurlitzer organ**
Armando Peraza – congas
Reggie Workman – bass
Jules Broussard – saxophones, flute
Michael Shrieve – drums
Tom Coster – keys

Liner Notes
It’s notable that the setlist for this performance has been on the concert.fm database since 2015, suggesting that the tape has been known to exist and in the possession of at least one collector since that time. The audio currently in circulation (shared here) is likely a second or third generation transfer. It is unknown if the tape referenced on concert.fm is of a higher generation, but if a better quality document appears I will share it here.

As with the Illuminations Sessions, the corresponding txt file for this collection mirrors the details above and includes additional info on lineage, recording and mastering. Personnel info will be updated above as new information about this collection comes to light, and should be considered the “master” source of info. Expect the txt file to be updated with less frequency.

  1. For further reading on Santana’s transformative mid-70s period, I highly recommend the multi-part series, “The Road to Caravanserai” over at The Music Aficionado blog. ↩︎