Reflections on John Coltrane’s 80th birthday.
John Coltrane was a poet without words, a holy man without need of a holy book. He rewrote the text every time he played and it was all revelation. In Coltrane's sound, one can hear the glory of the human drama, the story of evolving consciousness and humanity's unique capacity to consciously and deliberately participate in the process. Coltrane's sound was an acknowledgement of our divine mission as human beings, a hymn to understanding our identity, and a recognition of the oddity of being animal, human and god-like all at once.
Coltrane first discovered multi-phonic sound -- the ability to play more than one note at a time -- sometime in 1957 when he played with Thelonius Monk. Somewhat a stranger to rational thought, Monk advanced the evolution of jazz by persistently refusing to acknowledge the physical limitations of the keyboard and the structural limitations of Western music. Coltrane would set off on a path that would accomplish a similar goal. With Coltrane, the saxophone became an instrument of temporal and spiritual exploration.
Born from the soul of black culture, Coltrane grew up steeped in the blues. His sound wasn't that of a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Jew. It was a hymn to human striving for transcendance. Like an alchemist, he strove to transmute the dross of our material existence into a vision that transcended categories of race, ethnicity or religion.
I first heard Coltrane’s epic recording, A Love Supreme, when I was in high school. It was the first work of art that I could honestly say changed my life. The suite in four parts was complete, perfect. It seemed to reiterate the entire evolution of music, from the first primal discovery of the sound of reeds and drums to the most advanced harmonic and melodic concept possible. It seemed like a narration of the epic theme of the Hero's Journey -- a tale of a mystic traveler who encountered the ineffable and returned to tell the story. As a profound prayer it was more than a mere appeal to God. It described the central role that pursuit of the divine plays in the human experience and the futile errors we make by trying to pursue it with words.
As the years passed, I stopped playing the record on a regular basis, feeling that it was inappropriate to listen to it except on those rare occasions when profound spiritual questions would invade my consciousness. When I felt justified in playing the recording, it acted as a personal hymn to the universal search.
As human beings continue to butcher each other in the name of religion, I continue to think of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and its power to transform the arsenals of words that continue to separate us. Through his recordings and the playing of legions of saxophonists who have been and will continue to be inspired by his sound, Coltrane will certainly live forever.
John Coltrane was a poet without words, a holy man without need of a holy book. He rewrote the text every time he played and it was all revelation. In Coltrane's sound, one can hear the glory of the human drama, the story of evolving consciousness and humanity's unique capacity to consciously and deliberately participate in the process. Coltrane's sound was an acknowledgement of our divine mission as human beings, a hymn to understanding our identity, and a recognition of the oddity of being animal, human and god-like all at once.
Coltrane first discovered multi-phonic sound -- the ability to play more than one note at a time -- sometime in 1957 when he played with Thelonius Monk. Somewhat a stranger to rational thought, Monk advanced the evolution of jazz by persistently refusing to acknowledge the physical limitations of the keyboard and the structural limitations of Western music. Coltrane would set off on a path that would accomplish a similar goal. With Coltrane, the saxophone became an instrument of temporal and spiritual exploration.
Born from the soul of black culture, Coltrane grew up steeped in the blues. His sound wasn't that of a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or Jew. It was a hymn to human striving for transcendance. Like an alchemist, he strove to transmute the dross of our material existence into a vision that transcended categories of race, ethnicity or religion.
I first heard Coltrane’s epic recording, A Love Supreme, when I was in high school. It was the first work of art that I could honestly say changed my life. The suite in four parts was complete, perfect. It seemed to reiterate the entire evolution of music, from the first primal discovery of the sound of reeds and drums to the most advanced harmonic and melodic concept possible. It seemed like a narration of the epic theme of the Hero's Journey -- a tale of a mystic traveler who encountered the ineffable and returned to tell the story. As a profound prayer it was more than a mere appeal to God. It described the central role that pursuit of the divine plays in the human experience and the futile errors we make by trying to pursue it with words.
As the years passed, I stopped playing the record on a regular basis, feeling that it was inappropriate to listen to it except on those rare occasions when profound spiritual questions would invade my consciousness. When I felt justified in playing the recording, it acted as a personal hymn to the universal search.
As human beings continue to butcher each other in the name of religion, I continue to think of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and its power to transform the arsenals of words that continue to separate us. Through his recordings and the playing of legions of saxophonists who have been and will continue to be inspired by his sound, Coltrane will certainly live forever.
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