For a couple of years in the early ’70s, guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin shared a guru, Sri Chinmoy, and in 1973 they recorded this album based on his teachings and dedicated to the late John Coltrane. It includes versions of Coltrane’s “Naima” and the first movement of “A Love Supreme,” alongside two pieces by McLaughlin (“Meditation” and “The Life Divine,” the latter of which is close kin to “A Love Supreme”) and a version of the spiritual “Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord.” “Naima” and “Meditation” are gentle acoustic pieces, while the other three are simple platforms for extended soloing from Santana, McLaughlin, and organist Larry Young, anchored by a rhythm section that includes players from both the Mahavishnu Orchestra (keyboardist Jan Hammer, drummer Billy Cobham) and the then-current Santana band (bassist Doug Rauch, drummer Michael Shrieve, and percussionists Don Alias, Mingo Lewis and Armando Peraza). If guitar solos are your avenue to spiritual bliss, this is truly the Golden Path.

– Phil Freeman