Alice Coltrane

A Monastic Trio is the first solo album by Alice Coltrane. Recorded in 1968, she intended it to be a tribute to her husband, John Coltrane, who had died the year before. It originally featured the message: "This music is dedicated to the mystic, Ohnedaruth, known as John Coltrane during the period from September 23, 1926 to July 17, 1967

Alice Coltrane - harp, piano
Pharoah Sanders - flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Jimmy Garrison - bass
Rashied Ali - drums
Ben Riley – drums

While John's spirit can be felt throughout – from the song titles ("Ohnedaruth" was his adopted Hindu name) to the personnel (Jimmy Garrison, Rashied Ali, and Pharaoh Sanders were frequent collaborators) – the album showcases Alice's immense talent for fusing spiritual free-jazz and new-age with classical, Eastern, post-bop and gospel.

As the late Amiri Baraka writes, "'I Want to See You' is a monastic piano concerto. With echoes of Europe ..., it has a solemnity and majesty to it.... Yes, monastic is the word. The piano broods in its earth imagination."