Sigma Alpha Iota

28 Summer 2026 • sai-national.org Bk Reviews ALICE COLTRANE, MONUMENT ETERNAL edited by Erin Christovale Hammer Museum, 2025 A lice Coltrane, Monument Eternal provides a record of the exhibition about the eminent jazz pianist, harpist, and composer (1937–2007), which was held at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, February 9 through May 4, 2025. It features not only photographs and documents of a biographical nature, but centers the work of nineteen contemporary Black American artists who have created sculpture, paintings, installations, and multimedia work that reflects the inspiration of Coltrane's legacy. Incorporating altered music scores, musical instruments, sound and language, as well as traditional artistic tools, the artists eloquently speak to the deep connections that can be found between art and music. Each image of a work includes text about its artist and what has inspired the creation of the art. Interestingly, one the artists featured is Jasper Marsalis (son of Wynton). The book includes essays and interviews with Coltrane's children—Michelle, Ravi, and Oranyan Coltrane—as well as an exploration of her deep spirituality, which developed after the premature death of her husband, the jazz great John Coltrane. It discusses how her devotion to the Vedantic school of Hinduism led her to found her own ashram in Agoura, California, and highlights the way her musical compositions became integral to her devotional practices. This catalog also excerpts the book Monument Eternal: the Music of Alice Coltrane by Franya Berkman and features a complete discography of Coltrane's music. The discography is especially valuable for its thoroughness, as each album's entry features a photograph of the cover as well as details about performers and producers, and a track list. Overall, the production values of the book are stellar, from the physical characteristics of its cover and paper, to its judicious use of white space and color. Perfect for those with a longtime interest in the life and work of Alice Coltrane, as well as anyone who seeks to learn more about this amazing woman, Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal provides an invaluable look at her contributions to music and her legacy, which endures. WOMEN AND THE PIANO: A HISTORY IN 50 LIVES By Susan Tomes Yale University Press, 2024 Susan Tomes introduces her book, Women and the Piano, by offering the personal observation that, even though she has long been a serious pianist herself, when she was young she "took it for granted that all eminent pianists were men, or, more accurately, I picked up that message from the opinions and conversations of those around me." This, then, is the impetus behind her book, which proves that, although women pianists have had many barriers to push through, there have always been talented and successful women—even though history has seen fit not to acknowledge them. Tomes begins her book by briefly describing how the primacy of the harpsichord as the favored keyboard instrument was superseded by the piano beginning in the 18th century, as well as some of the women who were associated prominently with these instruments from the 18th to the 19th centuries. Most of the remainder of the book is broken up into three main sections: "The Dawn of the Piano Era," "Women in the Age of the Concert Pianist," and "Jazz and Light-Music Pianists." There, fifty women are given individual entries describing their musical contributions. These include less familiar names such as Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759–1824), Louise Dulcken (1811–1850), and Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler (1863–1927), as well as the more well- known Clara Schumann (1819–1896) and Wanda Landowska (1879–1959), among many others. Jazz pianists such as Mary Lou Williams (1910–1981), Hazel Scott (1920–1981), and Nina Simone (1933–2003) are given equal attention. The book concludes with a summary of different perspectives on the subject of women pianists. It also poses the question "Where are we now?" and assesses the current role of women in piano performance. Because of its structure, the book needn't be read sequentially, and makes for fascinating browsing. I appreciated Tomes' thoughtful consideration and explanation of societal conditions that have affected the relationship between women and the piano. In addition, her documentation of many unfortunately little- known, but diverse, performers is especially valuable and an impetus for further inquiry. Kathi Bower Peterson is a graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in music history and oboe, and was a member of the Iota Epsilon chapter. She also has an MM (in musicology) from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and an MLIS from San Jose State University. She has been the librarian at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, California since 1997 and currently serves as the treasurer of the San Diego Alumnae Chapter. She recently finished serving three terms as Coordinator of Scholarships for SAI Philanthropies, Inc.

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