Alice Coltrane's third solo album, Ptah, the El Daoud, was recorded and released in 1970. The album was recorded in the basement of her house in Dix Hills on Long Island, New York.

This album marked Coltrane's first collaboration with horns, featuring Pharoah Sanders on the right channel and Joe Henderson on the left channel. Coltrane described Henderson as more intellectual and Sanders as more abstract and transcendental.

All the compositions on the album were written by Alice Coltrane. The title track, "Ptah, the El Daoud," is named after an Egyptian god, with "El Daoud" meaning "the beloved."

The track "Turiya" represents a state of consciousness, while "Ramakrishna" is inspired by a 19th-century Bengali religious figure and his disciples. On the track "Blue Nile," Coltrane showcases her talent on the harp, while Sanders and Henderson switch from tenor saxophones to alto flutes.