Alice doesn't live here anymore
RIP Alice Coltrane, who was set to play the UK for the first time in aeons this spring. Though a lot of jazzers are rather sniffy about her music and particularly her playing with her husband's quartet, she was as notes rather succinctly, 'never afraid to look foolish'. In other words, she was a brave soul. There's always been a hint of sexism in these dismissals of Alice's talents, making her the jazz world's answer to Yoko Ono in some respects (see this thread on the jazz message board for details). In my humble opinion she was an original and responsible for some of the most intoxicatingly beautiful music I've ever heard. She also made some drivel, but so have a lot of other, er, 'jazz legends'...
大象传媒 News seem to have overlooked the event in favour of more important stories like the death of Rick Stein's dog, but never fear, Destination Out carry a rather nice list of tributes. Plus this one from is worth a listen...
