Om (John Coltrane album)
| Om | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by John Coltrane | ||||
| Released | January/early February 1968[1] | |||
| Recorded |
October 1, 1965 Camelot Sound Studios, Lynwood, Washington | |||
| Genre | Free Jazz, Avant-garde jazz | |||
| Length | 29:07 | |||
| Label |
Impulse! A-9140 | |||
| Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
| John Coltrane chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [4] |
Om is a 1968 album by John Coltrane recorded in October 1965.
Om refers to the sacred syllable in Hinduism, which symbolizes the infinite or the entire Universe. Coltrane described Om as the "first syllable, the primal word, the word of power". Issued posthumously, the 29-minute recording contains chants from the Bhagavad Gita,[5] a Hindu holy book, as well as Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders chanting from a Buddhist text, The Tibetan Book of the Dead,[6] and reciting a passage describing the primal verbalization "om" as a cosmic/spiritual common denominator in all things.
It is believed that Coltrane was using LSD during the recording, though some people have said this is only a myth.[7]
It was included on The Major Works of John Coltrane CD released in 1992.
Track listing
| Side A | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Om, Part 1" | 15:06 |
| Side B | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 2. | "Om, Part 2" | 14:01 |
Note: while some CD configurations had "Om" as a single track, others kept the original LP record's original two-track configuration.
Personnel
- John Coltrane - tenor and soprano saxophone
- Pharoah Sanders - tenor saxophone
- Donald Rafael Garrett - double bass and clarinet
- Joe Brazil - flute
- McCoy Tyner - piano
- Jimmy Garrison - bass
- Elvin Jones - drums
The sleevenotes credit Garrett with "bass clarinet": the musician himself has corrected this
References
- ↑ Billboard Feb 3, 1968
- ↑ Proefrock, Stacia. Om (John Coltrane album) at AllMusic
- ↑ Campbell, Hernan M. (25 April 2012). "Review: John Coltrane - Om | Sputnikmusic". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ↑ Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 47. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ↑ The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: Bhairavi by Peter Lavezzoli, page 285 (2006, Continuum International Publishing Group . ISBN 0-8264-1815-5. Missing or empty
|title=(help)) "Coltrane and one or two other musicians begin and end the piece by chanting in unison a verse from chapter nine ("The Yoga of Mysticism") of the Bhagavad Gita: Rites that the Vedas ordain, and the rituals taught by the scriptures: all these I am, and the offering made to the ghosts of the fathers, herbs of healing and food, the mantram, the clarified butter. I the oblation, and I the flame into which it is offered. I am the sire of the world, and this world's mother and grandsire. I am he who awards to each the fruit of his action. I make all things clean. I am Om!" - ↑ Nisenson, Eric (1995). Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest. Da Capo Press. p. 183. ISBN 0-306-80644-4.
- ↑ Lavezzoli, Peter (April 2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: Bhairavi. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 285.
Coltrane had begun using LSD during this time, in order to inverstigate its ability to access new levels of consciousness. It has long been rumored that Coltrane was under the influence of the drug while recording Om, and while this has never fully been corroborated, it would almost make sense, as the recording sounds disjointed and hallucinatory, almost as though Coltrane is not in full control of his normal faculties... the opening chant is followed by some of the most dissonant and paint-peeling shrieks on any Coltrane recording. Whether or not Coltrane was on LSD when recording this piece, it is perhaps not the most suitable for listening while on LSD, as the music communicates an intense feeling of unrest.