music reminiscent of her collaborations with her late husband John and her explorations of the concert harp as an improvising vehicle." Morgan Enos, in an article for the Grammy web site, called the album "otherworldly yet drenched in the blues", and stated that it "contains abundant hypnotic power and emotional import". The article contains tributes from a number of musicians, including ESP-Disk manager and producer Steve Holtje, who noted: "I have a certain fondness of placing this album in the lineage of DIY recording... It's a Black female artist taking control of her music", and Melvin Gibbs, who commented: "It's homey. It has that Sunday-afternoon-after-church vibe... it feels like your relatives were playing for you. That's evocative for me". Regarding the fact that the album was recorded during a period of grief following the death of John Coltrane, pianist Cat Toren noted: "She had four young kids, and she had lost the love of her life. I think that's huge. It speaks to her power as a woman, to go forth no matter the adversity of what else is going on in her life. I would be interested to know her support network and how she was able to produce this incredible work under such challenging conditions." The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "Ptah is the highest avatar of God in Egyptian religion, and the title-piece is a rippling essay in transcendence, the paired horns coming from quite different directions... Their doubling on alto flute on 'Blue Nile' is magnificent, a perfect complement to piano and harp." They called "Turiya and Ramakrishna" "a huge meditation that is the triple-distilled spirit of lightness." Track listing "Ptah, the El Daoud" – 13:58 "Turiya and Ramakrishna" – 8:19 "Blue Nile" – 6:58 "Mantra" – 16:33 All tracks composed by Alice Coltrane, and recorded at the Coltrane home studio in Dix Hills, New York on 26 January 1970. Personnel Alice Coltrane — harp (on track 3), piano Pharoah Sanders — tenor sax (on tracks 1 & 4, right channel), alto flute (on track 3), bells Joe Henderson — tenor sax (on tracks 1 & 4, left channel), alto flute (on track 3) Ron Carter — bass Ben Riley — drums References External links Ptah, the El Daoud — Alice Coltrane website album page 1970 albums Alice Coltrane albums Impulse! Records albums