And while Sanders solos on soprano sax on record, for this version, according to Michel's notes, he plays flute, achieving an impressive texture with vocals as he blows the instrument, while Shepp plays soprano, bringing a bluesy passion to the role. The longer running time gives both soloists plenty of room to explore the theme as it transitions to a pleasing near-infinity. On “Shiva-Loka,” another vamp-driven bliss, Sanders and Shepp both play sopranos, the former dazzling with swirling sonic shapes and the latter creating a wonderful arc starting softly and gradually building up to the screech. Blackwell and Jarvis, meanwhile, keep up with a regal, laid-back beat reminiscent of John's early-to-mid-'60s compatriot Elvin Jones.
Coltrane's harp work on these first two tracks is gorgeous, but she seems content to play a mostly textural, supporting role. This changes dramatically on the final two tracks, 20-minute covers of two John compositions, “Africa” and the minimal, staccato fanfare “Leo”, both featuring Alice on piano, the instrument she played in his band John and worked diligently on her earlier, largely informal musical apprenticeship in Detroit. These performances are as shockingly intense as the first two were quietly meditative. The ensemble seems to not simply be performing John Coltrane's repertoire, but consciously channeling the relentless rush of his most forbiddingly dense work in free form. “Africa” has a strong Trane flavor circa the mid-'60s, when he beefed up his working band with additional drummers and saxophonists—with Shepp joining occasionally and Sanders eventually signing on as a permanent addition—to continuously create cascading sound action paintings.
As Alice switches instruments, so do Shepp and Sanders, picking up the tenors they proudly lifted alongside Trane in 1965 Withdrawal, and looking for similarly enraged peaks (Shepp's roaring screams around 5:00 are especially moving, as are Sanders' polyphonic screams around 8:00). Alice also had plenty of experience playing alongside John in this role – see Live again at the Village Vanguard! the Live in Japan, both recorded in '66 — but here, she's even more commanding. During her solo, she establishes the track's solid foundation while letting loose with rippling, swirling cascades on the right. It often sounds here like two or three pianists playing at once, nodding to the great McCoy Tyner, who was on keyboards on John's original version, while soaring into her own separate stratosphere.
More magic comes during her extended score on “Leo,” a piece she had performed many times with John and would repeat often in the years to come. Starting around 5:00, it builds up a massive wall of rippling notes before launching into a series of impressive dashes with the double power rhythm section, expanded by prismatic storm clouds. You rarely hear Alice Coltrane mentioned in the company of free jazz powerhouses—Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen, Matthew Shipp, and more—but her stirring performances during this final part of the show confirm how much she deserves to be considered. as a titan of that idiom.
