100 years ago on September 23rd, 1926, jazz legend John Coltrane was born. Why is his playing still so beloved?
“It’s his improvisation,” 89.7 Jazz Host Al Davis says. “It’s spiritual. He changed the way people play saxophone.”
Al tells me that when he first heard Coltrane play on a recording, he thought he was hearing two horn players at once. His speed and his ability to seamlessly navigate tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone ranges gave Coltrane’s playing an otherworldly quality. But what was also impressive about John Coltrane was his dedication to the craft of music. Coltrane’s 1965 “A Love Supreme” was born out of this dedication.
“At this time, Miles had kicked Coltrane out of his band for using drugs,” Al says. “People usually go to rehab to kick that kind of habit, but Trane stopped cold turkey. He locked himself in a spare bedroom in his house for a week, and just played his saxophone.”
Coltrane eventually left that room having experienced “a spiritual awakening” in the aftermath of withdrawals. “A Love Supreme” is a hymn to God, thanking Him for His unconditional love and support.
“A Love Supreme” came out in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, just two years after Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
“A lot was going on within America itself, too, so the world needed that music. Instead of going to church, we had Trane to listen to,” Al says. He also tells me that when “A Love Supreme” came out on vinyl, the late Eric Jackson carried that vinyl with him everywhere he went.
