Features
Monday, July 16 2007
Part 1: Beethoven to Phil Ochs (1824-1965)
Psalm 100 instructs, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!". What more joyful sound than the life-affirming song of protest, for that is the sound wrenched from the deepest grief and suffering, from exhausted and diseased lungs, and the voice raised in tuneful protest is among the most beautiful of human sounds. Sing out, indeed!
Columns
Friday, March 9 2007
Celebrating John Coltrane, Personally
Spurred on by a couple of anniversaries, a new podcast "Traneumentary", and plenty of memory, Layman reflects on the music and meaning of John Coltrane.
Reviews
Tuesday, February 8 2011
'John Coltrane and Black America's Quest for Freedom': Insider Perspectives
The better contributions in this edited volume navigate a course between the particular and the universal, granting Coltrane's music the freedom it demands.
Wednesday, November 24 2010
John Coltrane: The Definitive John Coltrane on Prestige and Riverside
Sonny and Monk had their turn, now Coltrane's Prestige era gets held under the microscope.
Friday, May 7 2010
No One Has Ever Done Anything as Well as John Coltrane Played the Saxophone
If there is any artist worthy of celebration in our contemporary American Idol Apocalypse, John Coltrane should serve as both antidote and inspiration.
Sunday, April 5 2009
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff
Ratliff eschews the typical trappings of routine biography to plumb more profound ideas of musical language, identity, and influence.
Thursday, October 25 2007
John Coltrane: Interplay
Coltrane's supportive role as a sideman is highlighted on this five-disc collection of "blowing sessions" recorded for Prestige in the late '50s.
Blogs
Friday, February 3 2012
Counterbalance No. 67: John Coltrane’s 'A Love Supreme'
As Coltrane said, “One thought can produce millions of vibrations and they all go back to God.” A spiritual jazz masterpiece is the 67th most acclaimed album of all time. Counterbalance has a listen.
Wednesday, February 1 2012
The 10 Best John Coltrane Solos
The process of deciding which Trane solos are the best of the best gave me a good reason to go back and listen to his catalog once again, as if an excuse is even needed. I hope you do the same.
Wednesday, June 9 2010
Five Guys or, the Greatest Band of All Time (No, Really)
Aside from John Coltrane's classic quartet, there is no jazz band that can hold a candle to the second Miles Davis quintet.
