“Om Shanti”

In the 1980s, jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane devoted herself to the Hindu tradition, adopting the name Swamini Turiyasangitananda and opening an ashram outside Los Angeles. There she continued to make music—merging Vedic Chants with gospel-inspired singing on cassettes she released through her ashram’s Book Institute. Coltrane’s Ashram tapes have been reissued in various versions since, but now Luaka Bop has compiled selections onto a new compilation, The Ecstatic Music Of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda.

One track, “Om Shanti,” opens with Coltrane singing, something she had never done on record before. As she repeats her mantras, her voice is both soaring and subdued, seeking something higher without rushing toward it. Gradually she’s joined by percussion and a chorus of singers , whose calm intonations help push “Om Shanti” skyward. The song exudes a devout patience that makes it calming and inspiring—a simple study in how spirituality can gently move mountains.