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Writer's pictureAndy McIlvain

God's Gift of Music: Jazz Saxophonist John Coltrane

Chasing Trane

Video from egroj Channel

"It explores the impact and power of John Coltrane's music and delves into the passions, experiences and forces that shaped his life and his revolutionary sounds." from video introduction


I grew up listening to jazz greats like John Coltrane. Their music was a balm to my soul.

John Coltrane like the rest of us was a sinner, a broken individual. He had a drug addiction which caused disruptions and sadness in his life and the lives of those around him. He died very early at age 40.

His music is unique, enjoy!


John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman / "My One and Only Love"

Video from savant624

"John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman (1963) Track No. 3, "My one and only love" from video introduction


John Coltrane

"John Coltrane departed this mortal plane more than fifty years ago; today he remains among us, more alive than ever. His sound continues to grab the ears of an ever-widening circle of fans. His legend is stone solid: planted firmly in our culture as that of any 20th century musical giant. His saxophone sound—brooding, searching, dark—is still one of the most recognizable in modern jazz. His influence stretches over styles and genres, and transcends cultural boundaries. The modern ideal of music serving a deeply spiritual, connective purpose? A defining facet of John Coltrane.


To Coltrane, a musician was a message-giver; making music was an endeavor tied to a larger, greater good. “I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music,” Coltrane wrote in 1964 in a letter to his listeners, telling of a prayer to God. In 1966, less than a year before his death, he stated.." from his website: johncoltrane.com


Saint Coltrane: The Church Built On 'A Love Supreme' | JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA



"I have seen God – I have seen ungodly – none can be greater – none can compare to God." John Coltrane composed these words in December 1964, as part of a poem he called 'A Love Supreme.' He included the poem in the inside gatefold of an album by the same name, released the following year. That same year, a young couple in San Francisco heard Coltrane in concert, sharing a jolt of higher purpose when he seemed to fix them in his sights with the bell of his saxophone. That couple, Franzo and Marina King, went on to establish a church devoted to Coltrane and his spiritual message, incorporating 'A Love Supreme' as their chief liturgical text. Their house of worship — known today as the St. John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church — has survived decades of change in a gentrifying city, while making a few notable revisions to its charter. In this 20-minute documentary short, Jazz Night in America pays a visit to the Coltrane Church, thoughtfully tracing its winding history — including a tumultuous period when Alice Coltrane, John's widow, bestowed and then revoked her support. We'll delve into the spiritual mysteries of 'A Love Supreme,' from "Acknowledgment" to "Psalm," and consider what it means to be of service — to a calling, to a community, and to the music that sparked it all. - NATE CHINEN" from video introduction


JAZZ LEGEND JOHN COLTRANE'S 1967 DEATH EXPLAINED

"The pioneering jazz saxophonist John Coltrane — whose 1965 masterpiece "A Love Supreme" was the first jazz album of that era to go platinum –- achieved an incredible amount in his short life before dying tragically young on July 17, 1967. He was just 40, and news of his death made international headlines that rocked the jazz community around the world..

..John Coltrane was not immune to the addictions that plagued the jazz scene of the day. According to Biography, Coltrane started using heroin in the early 1950s. And, after being hired to the Miles Davis Quartet around the middle of that decade Davis eventually kicked him out of the band in 1957 as Coltrane continued to battle his seven-year addiction to the drug.

Humiliated and ostracised, Coltrane eventually managed to kick the drug and regain Davis' approval. But, as noted by Lewis Porter in his biography "John Coltrane: His Life and Music," many believe that it was during these years that the saxophonist caused the damage to his body that would result in his tragically early death.." from the article: JAZZ LEGEND JOHN COLTRANE'S 1967 DEATH EXPLAINED



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