A Monastic Trio, Alice’s debut with Impulse! Records, was recorded primarily on June 6th, 1968 at the home with the exception of “Ohnedaruth,” recorded earlier that year on January 29th. The January session featured Ben Riley (known mostly from his landmark recordings with Thelonious Monk) on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Pharoah Sanders on tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute. The June recording, making up the bulk of the album, included Rashied Ali, one of Alice’s primary collaborators, on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass.
Alice performed some of her greatest piano work on “Gospel Trane” and “I Want To See You,” and captured stunning textures of the harp on “Lovely Sky Boat,” “Oceanic Beloved,” and “Atomic Peace.” So much is communicated within the limited trio framework, as Alice’s swelling compositions of hope and praise achieve a symphonic landscape of sound.
