Ashram

This remastered two-fer combines Alice Coltrane's 1969 release Huntington Ashram Monastery with World Galaxy from 1972. Originally, these LPs were released separately on Impulse. Both sets are spiritual in nature, with the first three cuts on H.A.M. combining the majestically meditative harp of Coltrane with Ron Carter on bass and Rashied Ali on drums and percussion. Coltrane switches to piano on the album’s final three cuts bringing the free jazz component into focus, especially from Ali, who is slightly subdued on this date. World Galaxy opens and closes with two compositions associated with John Coltrane: "My Favorite Things" and a section from his masterpiece "A Love Supreme." Alice Coltrane is featured on harp, piano, and organ with saxophonist Frank Lowe, bassist Reggie Workman, drummer Ben Riley, violinist Leroy Jenkins, and a full string section…

Prikosnovénie rereleased the first sold-out album of 'Ashram' in a luxuous digipack with a new unreleased Track 'Fourth'. The Napolitan trio consists in Luigi Rubino (piano), Sergio Panarella (voice), Edo Notarloberti (violin). Since the first release in 2002, Ashram became one of the most popular neoclassical band playing a nostalgic & ethereal music reminding Michael Nyman's original sountracks.

The Neo-Classical style that acts as a foundation to Ashram’s music is usually built upon the moods of pianist Luigi Rubino, who sets a black and white cinematographic mannerism to the songs, hereby uplifted by violinist Edo Notarloberti’s arrangements, a performer well-known from various previous collaborations with other Napolitan projects, and whose soaring violin phrases confer a moving brilliance and distinct character to the project. Sergio Panarella, the group’s singer endowed with a beautiful crooning voice, adds the lighter tones to Ashram’s creations, by contributing also with a couple of acoustic guitar-based mellower Folk ballads now and again…

Huntington Ashram Monastery was recorded in a trio format with Ron Carter (bass) and Rashied Ali (drums) supplementing Alice's harp and piano. This is a unique album in that the majority of the tracks feature harp solos. It' s a little strangehearing an instrument like the harp taking solos. especially when the majority of the numbers are what one might consider traditional jazz arrangements. There are a couple of exceptions to this though. For example, during "Via Sivanandagar" Carter takes a very cool bass solo, while "IHS" is almost an 8:45 solo piano piece from Alice.

Ashram is a legendary and extremely gifted Italian band, working in the Dark Wave/Neoclassical genre with ambient/atmospheric influences. Ashram is now presenting their much overdue and eagerly expected third full-length album "Human and Divine" , featuring 13 timeless songs: just voice, violin, piano, guitar and… wonderful melodies and moods!