Alice Murno

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…

Vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki, pianist Fred Thomas (who also plays the vielle and drums here) and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado present a rare alchemy on their trio debut, fusing folk idioms from a multitude of sources with free flowing interplay and fluid structures. Inhabiting their own stylistic realm, the trio encompasses folk song, chamber music, improvisation and acoustic jazz, and on Za Górami they present the full span of their reach in a mesmerizing whole. Ladino traditionals are heard alongside striking renditions of Gustavo Santaolalla’s “Suéltate Las Cintas” and Simón Díaz’s “Tonada De Luna Llena”. The title-lending Polish traditional “Za Górami” is performed in a poignant interpretation by Zawadzki and the Renaissance piece “Je Suis Trop Jeunette” finds a kindred spirit in Fred Thomas’s monody-inspired setting of James Joyce’s in “Gentle Lady”. The album was recorded at the Auditorio Stelio Molo in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher.

With 24 studio albums and 35 years of performing under his belt, Cooper is one of the few classic rock artists still performing whose current work is comparable to what he was doing at the peak of his popularity.

Dispelling rumors of their demise due to Layne Staley's heroin addiction, Alice in Chains is a sonically detailed effort that ranks as their best-produced record, and its best moments are easily some of their most mature music. Alice in Chains relies less on metallic riffs and more on melody and texturally varied arrangements than the group's previous full-length albums, finally integrating some of the more delicate acoustic moods of their EPs. The lyrics deal with familiar AIC subject matter - despair, misery, loneliness, and disappointment - but in a more understated fashion, and the lyrics take on more uplifting qualities of toughness and endurance, which were missing from much of their previous work. The consistent visceral impact Alice in Chains lacks in comparison to that previous work is partially made up for by the skilled production and songs like "Grind," "Brush Away," "Over Now"…

Universal Consciousness was the fifth solo album released by Alice Coltrane in 1971 on Impulse! Records. The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars saying "This is art of the highest order, conceived by a brilliant mind, poetically presented in exquisite collaboration by divinely inspired musicians and humbly offered as a gift to listeners. It is a true masterpiece".