Love, Loss, and Renewal in the Music of John Coltrane

David Witzke

Saxophonist John Coltrane was one of the great jazz masters. He lives on in the annals of jazz history as one of the greatest—if not the greatest—saxophone players of all time. Coltrane was an accomplished soloist but also played in legendary bands alongside other jazz legends like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk.

One of Coltrane’s most formidable and well-known contributions to jazz is the song “Giant Steps” off his album of the same name. Blinding fast chord changes across three different keys make it an incredibly difficult song to improvise alongside. The technically complex song, combined with the fact that Coltrane had a habit of coming into recording sessions without rehearsal, made it tough, even for the seasoned pros that he enlisted into the rhythms section, to follow along with the song.

It is a preeminent point in jazz history and a prime example of the bebop music that lead into the avant-garde era of jazz. These chord changes alone had so much impact that the now-common patterns that make up “Giant Steps” are called the “Coltrane Changes.”

Coltrane and Giant Steps are intertwined, but while it may have been a famous moment in jazz history, that period of Coltrane’s life was marred in much the same way as many other famous jazz musicians. Heroin use and addictions were incredibly common among the jazz greats, often to tragic ends. Saxophonist and bebop legend Charlie Parker, perhaps the only player that eclipsed Coltrane, died at the age of 35 due to his addiction. Great musicians like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Fats Navarro, and Stan Getz all encountered health issues related to their use of heroin at the time. The stars of the classic jazz eras burned brightly in their younger lives but were held hostage by rampant alcoholism and heroin addiction that often ensured that they never experienced their older lives. knowledgement,” Part 2: “Resolution,” Part 3: “Pursuance,” and Part 4: “Psalm.”

There is an ineffable religiosity to his playing; it is an amalgamation of soulful jazz soloing, piano lines, a thrumming bass line, and low-voiced chanting. The sound is almost haunting as Coltrane intones, “A love supreme” across the tracks. Coltrane’s playing is lyrical, and it sounds as if the saxophone were truly speaking.

Amidst the backdrop of early death and addiction, Coltrane had a spiritual awakening in 1957—an awakening which he claimed helped him beat his addictions once and for all. He wrote about this transformation on the liner notes of his now-classic album A Love Supreme. All of the pain, suffering, and healing is contained in those four tracks. The squealing of his saxophone is a message to heaven of grief and renewal, inexplicably intertwined. Jazz has always been a medium that speaks to the soul, right from its very roots in New Orleans.

“Giant Steps” may have been his biggest contribution to jazz history, but A Love Supreme was his masterpiece. Only four tracks grace the album: Part 1: “Ac-