“Alabama” is a powerful composition by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, written in response to the 1963 KKK bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama which killed four African-American girls. This piece is significant in the context of the Civil Rights Movement, and the Brooklyn Raga Massive’s tribute performance adds another layer of depth.

Ravi Shankar, the influential Hindustani sitar master who you might know influenced George Harrison, significantly impacted Coltrane’s music and spirituality, as evidenced by Coltrane’s track India and by naming his son Ravi after Shankar.

In this recording, you’ll hear a blend of Indian classical instruments with Western instruments, such as the sarod, tabla, violin, bass, tenor saxophone, basuri, tabla, drumset, and more. I selected this piece to explore the intersection of jazz and Indian classical music and to further understand Coltrane’s influences.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeAOXxw_kE [Brooklyn Raga Massive Performance] 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saN1BwlxJxA [Coltrane for reference]