Alice Coltrane: Her Early Years as a Jazz Piano Virtuoso

Most people know that Alice McLeod her birth name was a professional pianist before she met John Coltrane. But few know what a high-level artist she was. Learn about her family and her early history, hear her early jazz—and pop!— recordings, and see rare videos of her on French television! Of course we will talk a bit about her life and work with and after John as well.

Lewis Porter is the author of “Playback with Lewis Porter,” a jazz essay series at https://lewisporter. substack.com/, of which Ted Gioia writes “Porter is the real deal—a genuine expert & trusted authority.” He has authored or co-authored two acclaimed books on John Coltrane, five other books, and numerous short publications. He’s a longtime jazz professor with a PhD in musicology, now retired from Rutgers but frequently guest teaching in person and on Zoom. As a pianist, he has appeared on 37 albums with Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, Tia Fuller, Dave Liebman, and many others.