Jazz isn't for everyone, and I'm not even going to pretend it's something I listen to a lot of. I dip in and out, and pretty much know what I like, but I'm no connoisseur. Like many lay folk, I find that Jazz can be too chaotic, too busy and very difficult to follow. However, it can also be fresh, multi-faceted and thoroughly engaging, and this album right here is a fine example of that, and when I discovered Alice Coltrane's music, I immediately realised this was the sort of Jazz I could quite easily get into, and I did.
'Journey' is a very short album (only 5 songs), but as the title suggests, those songs are journeys. The music possesses a transcendental, meditative quality (understandable given Coltrane's obvious spiritual leanings). The bass and droning sitar provide the backbone to Coltrane's mellifluous harp work which, in turn, is framed by the horns and flutes that adorn the mix.
After finding this album, I dug into the rest of Coltrane's discography, becoming an eager fan of her work. Again, hers is the sort of Jazz I can truly connect with, even at its most chaotic and even find her music more enjoyable than that of her more celebrated spouse.
Since discovering this album, I have journeyed into Satchidananda many, many times and will do many, many more.
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