Thursday, May 13, 2010

Alice Coltrane on harp


Here's a wonderful clip I had not seen before of Alice Coltrane playing a harp solo in concert. I know nothing more about this clip than what you see here. I was lucky enough to see her perform twice, but she stayed with piano and organ. This is a real treat.

If you haven't done so, check out some of the Alice Coltrane rarities reviewed on my music blog Ilé Oxumaré.

4 comments:

  1. Wow. There is something about seeing her play the harp that really adds so much to the music. Fascinating and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this! It sure would be nice to find a whole concert on video, wouldn't it?!

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  2. Right? I would love to see the whole thing.

    The second time I saw her I was pretty close to the small stage: it was amazing to watch her hands on the piano...which somehow she played as though it was an organ. I'm not musician enough to critique or analyze technique but it was different than how I've seen other musicians approach the keys.

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  3. Gotcha. I'm picturing her playing with her hands/fingers flat rather than perched and curled above the keys. I don't play either but it seems like I've noticed organ players having a different hand posture (don't know how else to describe it).

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