Tuesday September 23rd would be John Coltrane’s 88th birthday if he hadn’t of died on July 16th 1967. I knew before I started writing these diaries back in February that I would be writing this one eventually. I struggled with how to approach it. In fact last week I thought I would be writing this diary for next week…but I got my dates mixed up. Thank you for allowing me to profess my faith.
A handful of musicians of the 20th century are as good as Coltrane. No one is better. There is no more prominent and important voice on the Tenor Saxophone than Trane, though he does have a handful of peers in this regard. Coltrane is perhaps the ultimate balance of technical skill, emotional expression, spirituality, innovation, creativity and hard work. I don’t think a movie could be made about Coltrane’s life, he spent most of waking hours playing the saxophone; practicing 4-8 hours a day and performing at night for what I assume would often be 4-6 hours.
John Coltrane has died for our musical sins. He is the light, the truth and the way. He is love. Take one step towards John Coltrane and he shall take two steps towards you.
Welcome
If you are finding me for the first time, I do my best to post a diary about Jazz and related music every Sunday around 10pm EST.
That tune above is actually from today’s stopping point: 1965 recorded and 1967 released album, Kulu Se Mama.
At our starting point, John Coltrane is a star. His days with Miles are in the past. He had a record deal with Atlantic records, but the owner of a new label bought the contract out. John moved to the !Impulse jazz label. John had great artistic freedom on this label and recorded quite a bit, especially in 1965. We’re starting at the end of 1961 and going into 1965 up until the point where McCoy leaves and is replaced with John’s wife Alice. I am going to skip all the bootlegs and posthumous releases. My only focus today is on the 10 albums released during John’s lifetime. By 1965, Johns recorded output is far ahead of his releases and he begins to sound quite differently live than how he sounds on record. Ill address this at the end.
Words fail when trying to speak about Coltrane. I won’t write much. First, remember: This has happened—
1957 with Miles Davis – Round About Midnite
1958 with Thelonious Monk – Trinkle Tinkle
1959 with Miles – So What
1960 Quartet – Giant Steps
1961 Quartet w/McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones – My Favorite Things
You can dig my earlier diaries on Miles and Trane here:
Miles and Trane Part 1
Miles and Trane Part 2
My Favorite Things bridges John’s period of complex chord changes—as we find with Giant Steps—to a more modal approach. This modal way of playing begins with Miles and So What and John begins to develop this approach. Playing “modal” implies that the song and improvisation is centered around a particular scale, or mode, rather than a complicated preset harmony. A great deal of pop music is actually modal (or a blues form) today. The improve on Light My Fire or Mountain Jam is modal. Jerry Garcia was a fine modal player.
John is also embracing what we would call today “World Music”. His first release on Impulse is both modal and “world.” It also features the largest ensemble he would recording with on the Impulse label.
Africa/Brass, recorded and released in 1961. Along with John on this are Laurdine "Pat" Patrick, Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little, Britt Woodman, Julian Priester, Charles Greenlee, Carl Bowman, Bill Barber, Garvin Bushell, Julius Watkins, Jim Buffington, Bob Northern, Donald Corrado, Robert Swisshelm, Eric Dolphy, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, Art Davis, Elvin Jones
Africa
The cuts on 1963’s Impressions were recorded live in 61 and in studio in 62. The title track is a classic example of a modal tune and is in many ways the same harmonic structure as “So What”, though some would argue that SO What is based on D dorian mode and a D minor tonality (going up to Eb on the bridge) while Impressions is more G7 tonality. Yes, that is somewhat of a nitpick if you understand what those things mean. These feature the classic quartet of McCoy, Elvin, and Jimmy Garrison on bass. Dolphy is here as well.
Impressions
India, which also involves John’s interest in world music.
Ballads was recorded in 1961 and 1962 and released in 1963. The story goes that the band had never played these tunes before. John simply showed up with sheet music he had bought at the store and passed it out to everyone. Reggie Workman replaces Garrison on what cut, but neither of the two below. The album was awarded The Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
You Don’t Know What Love IS
Nancy With the Laughing Face
Coltrane was recorded and released in 1962. It is one his most definitive studio recordings between My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme
Out of this World
Soul Eyes
Also recorded in 1962, but released in 1963, is Coltrane’s great historical collaboration with Duke Ellington. Arron Bell plays bass and Elvin is on drums for about half the record, replaced by Sam Woodyard for a few including “The Feeling of Jazz” below
Take the Coltrane
The feeling of Jazz
In a sentimental mood
And that was followed by this session with Johnny Hartman. All the recordings were done in one take, except for one I don’t post here which needed two. Recorded March 3rd, 1963, and released later that year.
My one and only love
Lush life
Then comes Live at Birdland, recorded at two dates in late 1963 and released in 1964. It was hard to leave out I want to talk about you from this list…but I don’t want to post the whole record!
Afro Blue
Alabama—written for the 4 girls killed in the September 15th, 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama.
Crescent is recorded in 1964. Some call John’s darkest recording due to its somber mood.
Crescent
Bessie’s Blues
And then this happened on December 9th of 1964, released in 1965.
A love supreme
John Coltrane Quartet Plays was recorded and released in 1965. It is perhaps the last accessible recording John makes.
Chim Chim Cheree
Nature Boy
Things begin to change with John. He records quite a bit in 65 and through 67 up until his passing, but the music becomes more avant guard and difficult to listen. Oh..its quite amazing stuff, but not for the uninitiated. If anything, John begins to touch upon…something…that normal humans can’t reach. It is as if he begins to touch a raw and primal spark of divine inspiration and expresses it through his horn. I’ll do a diary n that stuff in the future and write about the public reaction. The crazier stuff does not get released during John’s lifetime, though he is performing it…to an audience that perhaps expects him to play Bye Bye Blackbird like he did with Miles 10 years earlier.
The following is the title track of the last release before his passing.
Kula Se Mama
Music this heavy is draining. Heheh
Thanks for listening everyone! Please remember to support your local jazz musicians and all local live music. Next week we ask the question, Are You Experienced?