John (1926–1967) and Alice (1937–2007) Coltrane

This image captures jazz great John Coltrane and his romantic and spiritual partner, Alice Coltrane—already an acclaimed jazz pianist and harpist in her own right—in Rudy Van Gelder’s recording studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. After John’s untimely death at age 40, Alice carried on his musical mission and created her own legacy. Chuck (Charles) Stewart photographed nearly every jazz musician who worked in New York between the 1950s and 1970s. His personal relationships with some of these musicians enabled Stewart to capture them not only in performance, but also in rare intimate moments and moods. This photograph is one of a dozen by Stewart that the Schomburg Center acquired in 1982, as it sought out the works and perspectives of photographers of African descent.