The Music Pages | July 2007

John William Coltrane, Jr., was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926. Shortly after his birth, his parents joined his mother's family in High Point, where he was raised. Coltrane probably received his first instrumental training in the fall of 1939; he played alto horn, then clarinet, then alto saxophone in community and high school bands.

Meanwhile, between 1938 and 1940 the family was devastated by the deaths of five members, including John's father. After his graduation from high school in 1943, John moved to Philadelphia, where he was eventually joined by his mother, his aunt, and his cousin Mary . While working day jobs, he studied music, inspired by two alto saxophonists -- first Johnny Hodges, then Charlie Parker.

Coltrane served as a seaman and musician in the navy from August 1945 until August 1946. Returning to Philadelphia, he freelanced around Philadelphia, often with saxophonist Jimmy Heath's big band; and toured with other bands. He began to play tenor saxophone professionally in late 1948 with the blues singer and saxophonist Eddie Vinson. He played with Dizzy Gillespie from 1949 to 1951 and with the saxophone virtuoso Earl Bostic in 1952, and in 1954 he joined his early idol Johnny Hodges.

In late September 1955, he was working in Philadelphia with organist Jimmy Smith when he was "discovered" by Miles Davis. Coltrane began to record prolifically with Davis and others. Reviewers mostly praised him, though often with reservations, while a minority violently dismissed his work. In either case, it was clear that he had developed a distinctive style. But, like many of his generation, Coltrane had developed addictions that interfered with his performance. After Davis fired him at the end of April 1957 because of his unreliability, he rid himself of heroin by quitting "cold turkey" during a week gigging in Philadelphia.

He immediately began a crucial association with Thelonious Monk, who asked Coltrane to join his group at the Five Spot in Manhattan from July through the end of 1957. The engagement was a turning point for both of them -- Coltrane's playing drew raves from most. Afterward, in early January 1958, Davis rehired Coltrane.

During the spring of 1959, Coltrane appeared on two of the most famous jazz albums ever made, representing two very different approaches: Davis's Kind of Blue and his own Giant Steps. The former was an attempt to strip the backgrounds behind the soloists, the bases for their improvisations, down to the most bare, uncluttered scales. The latter was an essay in the most difficult and challenging backgrounds possible.

Coltrane left Davis in April 1960 and from then on led his own group. He performed with various musicians but soon settled on McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums. The bass chair changed around -- Reggie Workman played for most of 1961, sometimes in tandem with Art Davis -- before finally going to Jimmy Garrison at the end of 1961.

Coltrane had purchased a soprano saxophone around February 1, 1959, and began using it regularly in May 1960. His recording of "My Favorite Things" that October (issued in March 1961) re-established the soprano, which had rarely been used in modern jazz, as a favoured instrument.

He was becoming increasingly popular: Down Beat honored him as "jazzman of the year" in its review of the year 1961. He won the magazine's critic and reader polls that year for best tenor saxophonist and for miscellaneous instrument (soprano saxophone); the critics also voted his group the "new star" combo. But his detractors grew louder with the addition of Eric Dolphy to the group for most of 1961. English critics lambasted him on his European tour that November, while Down Beat's John Tynan wrote of "a horrifying . . . anti-jazz trend." After Dolphy left, Coltrane's best-known quartet -- with Tyner, Garrison, and Jones -- remained intact from April 1962 through the fall of 1965, except for some periods when Jones was absent.

For some years Coltrane had been exploring the music of other cultures -- India, parts of Africa, Latin America. He arranged to meet the master sitar player Ravi Shankar in New York in December 1961 for the first of a handful of informal lessons, and named his son after him. It wasn't only the sound of world music that attracted John Coltrane; he was interested in all kinds of religion, and in astrology, numerology, and mysticism. His mystical, spiritual interests are explicit in A Love Supreme, his best-known album and still his best-selling one as well. It was voted album of the year by both Down Beat and Jazz magazine in 1965.

But he continued to ignite controversy because of his involvement in the so-called avant garde. He regularly let younger players sit in with his group. In June 1965, he gathered ten musicians together for a recording session that produced the landmark album Ascension. By September, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was a regular member of the group, and Coltrane soon also hired Rashied Ali as a second drummer. Uncomfortable with Coltrane's new style, Tyner and Jones left shortly after that, and Alice McLeod Coltrane became the group's new pianist.

John Coltrane had met Alice McLeod in July 1963. His marriage to Naima was then on the rocks, and he and Alice were soon living together. That fall, Coltrane began to cut back on touring and made plans to stay around New York, mostly for family reasons. (He was not yet aware of any serious illness.) He had begun to take control of his own business affairs, forming his own label imprint and planning some self-produced concerts. He spoke of opening a space where rehearsals and performances would be open informally to the public.

But by the spring of 1967 his health was failing rapidly. On April 23, he appeared at the Olatunji Center in Harlem (available on The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording Impulse CD 314 589 120-2). His final performance was in Baltimore on May 7. He died of liver cancer in Huntington Hospital on July 17, 1967. His death was unexpected, it was shocking, and in a very real sense the jazz world never fully recovered from the loss.

Excerpted from: John Coltrane Legacy

Lewis Porter - August 2001

ARTIST WEBSITE: http://www.johncoltrane.com

Cat. No.: 988 4013
Barcode: 0602498840139
Label: Verve CD
Release Date: 14 July

JOHN COLTRANE | A Love Supreme

TRACK LISTING

1. A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement

2. A Love Supreme Part II - Resolution

3. A Love Supreme, Part III: Pursuance

4. A Love Supreme, Part IV-Psalm

John Coltrane saw his album-length suite A Love Supreme as his gift to God. The world has come to see it as a classic -- not only Coltrane's best known work, but one of the most influential jazz records ever made.

This edition, newly remastered from a recently discovered first generation master tape by original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, presents the suite as you've never heard it before.

"A Love Supreme wasn't a jazz record. They were just trying to make a musical statement." - Ravi Coltrane

"John Coltrane had complete empathy with what was going on around him. He could see the world, and this music is a reflection of that empathy, and it's something to aspire to - spiritually, personally, and musically." - Branford Marsalis

John William Coltrane, Jr., was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926. Shortly after his birth, his parents joined his mother's family in High Point, where he was raised. Coltrane probably received his first instrumental training in the fall of 1939; he played alto horn, then clarinet, then alto saxophone in community and high school bands. Meanwhile, between 1938 and 1940 the family was devastated by the deaths of five members, including John's father. After his graduation from high school in 1943, John moved to Philadelphia, where he was eventually joined by his mother, his aunt, and his cousin Mary . While working day jobs, he studied music, inspired by two alto saxophonists -- first Johnny Hodges, then Charlie Parker. Coltrane served as a seaman and musician in the navy from August 1945 until August 1946. Returning to Philadelphia, he freelanced around Philadelphia, often with saxophonist Jimmy Heath's big band; and toured with other bands. He began to play tenor saxophone professionally in late 1948 with the blues singer and saxophonist Eddie Vinson. He played with Dizzy Gillespie from 1949 to 1951 and with the saxophone virtuoso Earl Bostic in 1952, and in 1954 he joined his early idol Johnny Hodges. In late September 1955, he was working in Philadelphia with organist Jimmy Smith when he was "discovered" by Miles Davis. Coltrane began to record prolifically with Davis and others. Reviewers mostly praised him, though often with reservations, while a minority violently dismissed his work. In either case, it was clear that he had developed a distinctive style. But, like many of his generation, Coltrane had developed addictions that interfered with his performance. After Davis fired him at the end of April 1957 because of his unreliability, he rid himself of heroin by quitting "cold turkey" during a week gigging in Philadelphia. He immediately began a crucial association with Thelonious Monk, who asked Coltrane to join his group at the Five Spot in Manhattan from July through the end of 1957. The engagement was a turning point for both of them -- Coltrane's playing drew raves from most. Afterward, in early January 1958, Davis rehired Coltrane. During the spring of 1959, Coltrane appeared on two of the most famous jazz albums ever made, representing two very different approaches: Davis's Kind of Blue and his own Giant Steps. The former was an attempt to strip the backgrounds behind the soloists, the bases for their improvisations, down to the most bare, uncluttered scales. The latter was an essay in the most difficult and challenging backgrounds possible. Coltrane left Davis in April 1960 and from then on led his own group. He performed with various musicians but soon settled on McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums. The bass chair changed around -- Reggie Workman played for most of 1961, sometimes in tandem with Art Davis -- before finally going to Jimmy Garrison at the end of 1961. Coltrane had purchased a soprano saxophone around February 1, 1959, and began using it regularly in May 1960. His recording of "My Favorite Things" that October (issued in March 1961) re-established the soprano, which had rarely been used in modern jazz, as a favoured instrument. He was becoming increasingly popular: Down Beat honored him as "jazzman of the year" in its review of the year 1961. He won the magazine's critic and reader polls that year for best tenor saxophonist and for miscellaneous instrument (soprano saxophone); the critics also voted his group the "new star" combo. But his detractors grew louder with the addition of Eric Dolphy to the group for most of 1961. English critics lambasted him on his European tour that November, while Down Beat's John Tynan wrote of "a horrifying . . . anti-jazz trend." After Dolphy left, Coltrane's best-known quartet -- with Tyner, Garrison, and Jones -- remained intact from April 1962 through the fall of 1965, except for some periods when Jones was absent. For some years Coltrane had been exploring the music of other cultures -- India, parts of Africa, Latin America. He arranged to meet the master sitar player Ravi Shankar in New York in December 1961 for the first of a handful of informal lessons, and named his son after him. It wasn't only the sound of world music that attracted John Coltrane; he was interested in all kinds of religion, and in astrology, numerology, and mysticism. His mystical, spiritual interests are explicit in A Love Supreme, his best-known album and still his best-selling one as well. It was voted album of the year by both Down Beat and Jazz magazine in 1965. But he continued to ignite controversy because of his involvement in the so-called avant garde. He regularly let younger players sit in with his group. In June 1965, he gathered ten musicians together for a recording session that produced the landmark album Ascension. By September, tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders was a regular member of the group, and Coltrane soon also hired Rashied Ali as a second drummer. Uncomfortable with Coltrane's new style, Tyner and Jones left shortly after that, and Alice McLeod Coltrane became the group's new pianist. John Coltrane had met Alice McLeod in July 1963. His marriage to Naima was then on the rocks, and he and Alice were soon living together. That fall, Coltrane began to cut back on touring and made plans to stay around New York, mostly for family reasons. (He was not yet aware of any serious illness.) He had begun to take control of his own business affairs, forming his own label imprint and planning some self-produced concerts. He spoke of opening a space where rehearsals and performances would be open informally to the public. But by the spring of 1967 his health was failing rapidly. On April 23, he appeared at the Olatunji Center in Harlem (available on The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording Impulse CD 314 589 120-2). His final performance was in Baltimore on May 7. He died of liver cancer in Huntington Hospital on July 17, 1967. His death was unexpected, it was shocking, and in a very real sense the jazz world never fully recovered from the loss. Excerpted from: John Coltrane Legacy Lewis Porter - August 2001 ARTIST WEBSITE: http://www.johncoltrane.com
	Cat. No.: 988 4013 Barcode: 0602498840139 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| A Love Supreme TRACK LISTING 1. A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement 2. A Love Supreme Part II - Resolution 3. A Love Supreme, Part III: Pursuance 4. A Love Supreme, Part IV-Psalm John Coltrane saw his album-length suite A Love Supreme as his gift to God. The world has come to see it as a classic -- not only Coltrane's best known work, but one of the most influential jazz records ever made. This edition, newly remastered from a recently discovered first generation master tape by original recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, presents the suite as you've never heard it before. "A Love Supreme wasn't a jazz record. They were just trying to make a musical statement." - Ravi Coltrane "John Coltrane had complete empathy with what was going on around him. He could see the world, and this music is a reflection of that empathy, and it's something to aspire to - spiritually, personally, and musically." - Branford Marsalis RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 1672 Barcode: 0011105116725 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Sun Ship TRACK LISTING 1. Sun Ship 2. Dearly Beloved 3. Amen 4. Attaining 5. Ascent This package is of five performances from late in the summer of 1965. Coltrane had assembled the quartet at an unusual location, the RCA Victor Studios in New York City, the only one of his later East Coast studio sessions which was not recorded by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder in New Jersey. It's likely the five compositions were sketches rather than full arrangements - Coltrane usually relied on the near-telepathic communicative abilities of the group to flesh out his ideas. "With John we could come in, he would give us two notes and we could play a whole composition on two notes," Tyner recalled. That level of creativity is well-documented here, in a set of performances which together act to showcase the abilities of each member of the quartet. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 1982 Barcode: 0011105119825 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Live At Birdland TRACK LISTING 1. Afro-Blue 2. I Want To Talk About You 3. The Promise 4. Alabama 5. Your Lady 6. Vilia All the music on this album is Live , whether it was recorded above drinking and talk at Birdland, in the studio. There is a daringly human quality to John Coltrane's music that makes itself felt, wherever he records. If you can hear, this music will make you think of a lot of weird and wonderful things. You might even become one of them. Amiri Baraka (Original liner notes from Coltrane Live At Birdland) RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 1992 Barcode: 0011105119924 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Meditations TRACK LISTING 1. The Father And The Son And The Holy Ghost 2. Compassion 3. Love 4. Consequences 5. Serenity Meditations is about cleaning the mirror into the self, going as far through the looking glass as is possible each time. Making music as naked as the self can be brought to be. -Nat Hentoff (1966 original liner notes to Meditations) RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 2002 Barcode: 0011105120029 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Crescent TRACK LISTING 1. Crescent 2. Wise One 3. Bessie's Blues 4. Lonnie's Lament 5. The Drum Thing This album represents a period of musical summary, a survey of musical values Coltrane was reaching for at a crucial time in his career. It also re-emphasizes Coltrane's expressive power as a composer and further underlines the fact that Coltrane's lyricism - when he is in a recollecting mood - is as direct and as free of posturing as is the best of the lyrical lineage in jazz. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 2132 Barcode: 0011105121323 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Live At The Village Vanguard Again TRACK LISTING 1.Naima 2. Introduction to My Favorite Things 3. My Favorite Things Musician-critic Don Heckman, in reviewing a Coltrane performance for Down Beat, distills the nature of that part of Coltrane's power to seize and hold his listeners: "What makes his work so special is the fact that even though Coltrane could probably do anything he wants to as an improviser, he constantly sets goals for himself while he plays that require an outpouring of the most demanding personal energies. The resulting personal esthetic odyssey makes almost every exposure to his work a memorable experience." As in the case in this recording made at New York's Village Vanguard on May 28, 1966. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 051 2512 Barcode: 0011105125123 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Live At The Village Master Takes TRACK LISTING 1. Spiritual 2. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise 3. Chasin' The Trane 4. India 5. Impressions These recordings represent a kind of perfection, a high-water mark, a reference point. They capture a master musician, a major contributor to this American high art form, in the process of redefining its boundaries for all who would follow - pushing beyond, reaching deep within, almost willing himself to grow. And these five core performances were the agents of that redefinition, the textbook examples, the master takes of the John Coltrane Group, Live at the Village Vanguard. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 052 1682 Barcode: 0011105216821 Label: Verve 2CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| The Complete Africa / Brass Sessions TRACK LISTING CD1 1. Greensleeves 2. Song Of The Underground Railroad 3. Greensleeves (Alternate Take) 4. The Damned Don't Cry 5. Africa (1st Version) CD2 1. Blues Minor 2. Africa (Alternate Take) 3. Africa This album is representative of the state of musical mind of John Coltrane, 34, on his way to something new and exciting, but pausing along the way to sum up the fresh and provocative work he has accomplished this far. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 543 4122 Barcode: 0731454341226 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Kulu Sé Mama TRACK LISTING 1. Kulu Se Mama 2. Vigil 3. Welcome 4. Selflessness 5. Dusk Dawn 6. Dusk Dawn (Alternate Take) The twelve months between John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Meditations were a very productive period. The first half brought forth work mostly by his quartet; the second began Coltrane's experimentation with different-sized ensembles. This unique release comprises sessions from both sides of that evolutionary divide. "Vigil" is the kind of fiery saxophone-drum duet that was rarely done in the studio. The title track comes from a period when Coltrane started his own recordings, inviting newcomers to join him. With its use of ritual and diverse idioms, underpinned by percussion, it is a striking example of multiculturalism recorded many years before that word was widely used. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 543 4152 Barcode: 0731454341523 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Interstellar Space TRACK LISTING 1. Mars 2. Venus 3. Jupiter 4. Saturn 5. Leo 6. Jupiter Variation For a perfectionist such as John Coltrane, the studio was the place to refine his latest concepts. In February 1967, Rashied Ali, the replacement in the Coltrane drum chair, and Coltrane recorded as a duo and produced something both ecstatic and austere - something so different from what Coltrane had ever dared to play in a live setting that the music seems to emanate from and move towards another space. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 543 4162 Barcode: 0731454341622 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Impressions TRACK LISTING 1. India 2. Up 'Gainst The Wall 3. Impressions 4. After The Rain 5. Dear Old Stockholm Impressions is an album that, more than just giving the listener certain sensations, plumbs the depth of Coltrane's feelings. It does this while providing an incredible array of his musical concerns which makes this record indispensable. There's an A-flat blues; the stunning original ballad "After the Rain," and "India," on which two bassists simulate a drum choir. Finally, there's the remarkable title track, on which Coltrane develops several motifs in succession, moving in and out of a maze of tonalities - but always with the inevitable fervor and logic of a charging train. (John Doe, Exerpted from the liner notes) RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 589 5482 Barcode: 0731458954828 Label: Verve 2CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Ballads-Deluxe Edition TRACK LISTING CD1 1. Say It (Over And Over Again) 2. You Don't Know What Love Is 3. Too Young To Go Steady 4. All Or Nothing At All 5. I Wish I Knew 6. What's New 7. It's Easy To Remember 8. Nancy (With The Laughing Face) CD2 1. They Say It's Wonderful 2. All or Nothing At All 3. Greensleeves 4. Greensleeves 5. Greensleeves 6. Greensleeves 7. Greensleeves 8. It's Easy to Remember 9. It's Easy to Remember 10. It's Easy to Remember 11. It's Easy to Remember 12. It's Easy to Remember 13. It's Easy to Remember 14. It's Easy to Remember Primarily recorded at two sessions in late 1962, early in the life of what came to be known as the classic John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads is one of the most unusual albums in the Coltrane discography. At the time, Coltrane was best known for the adventurousness and intensity of his music but he had a tender side as well, and Ballads was the first album to put the lyrical aspect of his playing in the spotlight. The first disc of this deluxe reissue consists of the album as originally released. The second contains a wealth of extra material from the Ballads sessions, most of it previously unreleased. Included are seven takes of "It's Easy to Remember," showing how the version that ended up on the original album took shape, and one piece -- "They Say It's Wonderful," a duet with pianist McCoy Tyner -- that was left off Ballads and has remained unissued until now. All the music on both discs has been remastered by the original engineer, Rudy Van Gelder, using better tape sources than any previous edition. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 543 4132 Barcode: 0731454341325 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| Ascension TRACK LISTING 1. Ascension-Edition II 2. Ascension-Edition I For thirty-five years Ascension has stood as a monument - either as John Coltrane's supreme, ecstatic statement of his musical liberation from chord changes or as his abandonment of all jazz tradition. Here he has reached the summit. Although the influence of other musicians is evident in his music, it stands apart, now as then, from everything else in jazz. It is of unprecedented force and feeling. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 988 4014 Barcode: 0602498840146 Label: Verve CD Release Date: 14 July			JOHN COLTRANE \| John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman TRACK LISTING 1. They Say It's Wonderful 2. Dedicated To You 3. My One And Only Love 4. Lush Life 5. You Are Too Beautiful 6. Autumn Serenade The perfect blend of passionate tenor saxophone and sensual baritone vocals, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman is one of the most romantic albums ever recorded. Both legends in their own right - John Coltrane as one of the most ingenious and inventive tenor saxophonists and Johnny Hartman the ultimate balladeer - their synergy on this 1963 recording resulted in a masterpiece that far surpassed the popularity of any of their individual recordings. RETURN TO THE TOP

	Cat. No.: 549 9132 Barcode: 0731454991322 Label: Verve CD Release Date: Avail Now			JOHN COLTRANE \| The Very Best Of John Coltrane TRACK LISTING A Love Supreme Part I: Acknowledgement In A Sentimental Mood Bessie's Blues Naima - Live (1961 Village Vanguard) Afro-Blue - 1963/Live At Birdland Lush Life Crescent Impressions Alabama - Live My Favorite Things - Live (1963 Newport Jazz Festival) This retrospective of Coltrane's work for the Impulse label shows off his many-sided genius. There are of course the tracks by his classic quartet, one of the most enduring small combos in the history of jazz. But Coltrane is also featured alongside Duke Ellington, partnered with his fellow reed man Eric Dolphy, and in collaboration with singer Johnny Hartman. RETURN TO THE TOP