e n a r lt o C e n m h e o J pr u S ve o L A
In 1957, John Coltrane lost his position in Miles
where he sat quietly by a window for three
Davis’ Quintent. The loss of his position with
days. His wife, Naima, became worried, for
the Quintet shocked Trane. He idolized Miles
she thought that Coltrane was on the verge of
and valued his close personal contact with the
a nervous breakdown. During these three days
band leader. Trane was sure that he would soon
of solitude (Coltrane later told Naima) he heard
be rehired. When that did not happen, he got his
the most beautiful faraway sound of drones he
own group together, but he found out one night
could imagine. For the rest of his life he tried to
that his facility on the horn was completely gone.
recapture the sound but never succeeded. John
Immediately he stopped using both narcotics
had experienced a spiritual awakening. He felt
and alcohol and went to his bedroom,
that God had touched him and had revealed to him that people could be uplifted by music. He later wrote,
During the year 1957, I ex of God, a spiritual waken me to a richer, fuller, mo At that time, in gratitude given the means and the others happy through mu granted through His grac
xperienced, by the grace ning which was to lead ore productive life. e, I humbly asked to be e privilege to make usic. I feel this has been ce. All praise to God.
Over the next seven years, Coltrane’s music
Coltrane went on to start his own quartet, along
radically changed due to his spiritual awakening,
with experimenting on the soprano saxophone.
combined with his opportunity to play with the
The soprano sax allowed him the freedom to
legendary Thelonius Monk. Coltrane found Monk
develop a thorough technical proficiency on an
to be an inspiring teacher. Monk sharpened
instrument that few musicians had dared to play
Coltrane’s sense of musical time and space and
previously because of its highly temperamental
encouraged him to experiment with complex
and uncontrollable nature. Coltrane continued
harmonic improvisations.
to gain notoriety with several records, leading up to his most impressive work in 1964.
1964 was a year of tragedy with race riots throughout the nation and the murders of
S e v o L
three young civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. 1964 was the year in which John
Coltrane, undoubtedly influenced by the tragic
events, composed a much needed prayer for peace,
A
S
e m e r p u He dedicated his composition to God, thanking
Him for having been awakened spiritually in 1957. John never forgot that in that year he had been granted the means and the privilege of making others happy through his music.
A Love Supreme is the first of several albums
In preparation for A Love Supreme, Coltrane
in which Coltrane seeks to lift his listeners to
read the Bible, the Koran, the Bhavaghad Gita,
a high spiritual level. The work must be viewed,
and various Buddhist texts. His wide interests
therefore, not only in a musical context but
included such disparate activities as study
also in a religious one. Coltrane was so affected
of Einstein’s theory of relativity and, on an
by the work that he experienced a second
entirely different level, drawing maps of Africa
spiritual awakening. From that time on, John
and Asia. There was one constant thread of
was praying ninety percent of the time during
continuity among all of his activities: they were
which hewas playing, and he saw God at least
all related in some way to his music. He felt that
once. A Love Supreme signalled the turning
he could realize the true meaning of life only by
point in Coltrane’s career in regard to both
completely refining his emotions-and his music.
the critics’ evaluation of his music and his
A Love Supreme signals the beginning of John’s
own appraisal of it.
explorations of new musical horizons. The work is divided into four parts: “Acknowledgment”, “Resolution”, “Pursuance,” and “Psalm.”
Recorded in 1964 John Coltrane - Saxophone Jimmy Garrison - Bass McCoy Tyner - Piano Elvin Jones - Drums
kn
Ac led gm en t
ow
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Co lt r
an ep lay s
av lyr igo th ical rou ba e st , su s, ot ckg ead rgin he ro y r g un an g so ro d m d v lo up ibr ag u me sic an ain mb o f t st er the s.
At the beginning of “Acknowledgement,” Coltrane introduces a simple, short, and Indian-flavored melody. Throughout the entire composition he builds scalar variations on the four or five notes that are a part of this initial tune. He explores all of the traditional ways of improvising in his handling of the “A Love Supreme” melody. At the end of the section, Trane and the rest of the group repeatedly intone the words,
“A love supreme.”
n o i t u l o Res “Resolution” has a simple framework with few
“Bebop” was based on harmonic improvisation
complex changes. Coltrane goes a bit farther
and eighth notes rather than the melodic
in his embellishment of the original melody in
improvisation and quarter notes of swing.
this section. In addition, the piano and drums
This new kind of jazz allowed the musician
play solos that reflect the influence of ‘bop’.
more freedom to improvise and to give vent to his emotions. In addition, it had a more natural and asymetrical sound than its predecessor, swing.
Pu
rs
ua
“Pursuance� begins with an accompanied drum solo played by Elvin Jones, which leads into
nc
e
no . a i s p o l d o l i s x w a s r o n and te
This movement serves as the climax of the suite, before moving to the final portion.
Psa
lm
A long bass solo leads directly into the fourth
The
o
la
part of the work, “Psalm.” Trane’s long solo in “Psalm” is distinctive for its high, sobbing lyricism. A continuously rolling drum in the background gives the piece great tension.
q
om ino ast us and sec d tion eepl ye giv the mo e sa tion mu sic pra al t y tha one e r -lik t is of t eq bea h is u utif alit ul b y to ut a lso
qui te f righ ten ing .
Three years after the release of A Love Supreme, on 17 July 1967, Coltrane succumbed to cancer of the liver. His funeral took place at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York on 21 July. The service, entitled “A Love Supreme,” was attended by over 1,000 relatives, friends, fans, and fellow musicians. Coltrane’s music has continued to resonate among jazz aficianados everywhere, many hailing A Love Supreme to be one of the greatest jazz albums ever made.
COLOPHON This book was printed in the Communication Design studio at Washington University in St. Louis during the Fall 2011 semester by Erin Miller Typefaces used are Univers Bold Condensed and Neutraface Slab Text.
REFERENCES Turner, Richard. “John Coltrane: A Biographical Sketch.” The Black perspective in music. Vol. 3, No. 1 ed. Cambria Heights, N.Y.: Foundation for Research in the Afro-American Creative Arts, 1990. 3-16, 28-29. Print.