Celebrating John Coltrane, Personally

Will and Pop Matters,
Thank you for that.  It expressed much of what a person wants to hear when they see an article of that title.
John has that name which is magic to any young man (i can only speak for young men), it plants itself and no one can ignore it.  ‘John Coltrane’ itself could be a mantra, so perfect are the vowels and consonants and instant images, and inevitably becomes a mantra after anyone sits down with the music, with his work, the man.  Whatever one’s response, that inital response, there is no going back.  I don’t know anyone who has needed to hear Coltrane, went to him, and never went back or left disappointed.
Coltrane’s work, 56 on, is instantly gripping, overwhelming even.  The Coltrane experience calls us to examine the hermeneutical questions of the listener, the consumer, in art; people simply listen to him differently.  Without a hint of musical theory i have simply needed to listen exhaustingly to be able to formulate musical ideas as to what he is doing, while another can hear it, understand its construction and yet still share in the marvel.
i guess Coltrane is far from the only artist to accomplish this feat, especially in jazz, but because of his motivation and the latent message in his work we are personlly affected and thus bound to each other as fans or devotees.  Too, then, we feel a love for the man and loss at his untimely death; he is not a personality in jazz history but, very much, a man of great substance.

Comment by C.Linton from South Korea — March 9, 2007 @ 7:49 pm

Coltrane lives:

I wanted to submit an event.  In any case,

CLARION JAZZ SAXOPHONIST AZAR LAWRENCE TO PERFORM JOHN COLTRANE’SMUSIC AT COTTON CLUB WEST IN LONG BEACH

Long Beach, California – March 21, 2007 – Jackson Connections Entertainment Coordinator Rogers Jackson announced that Clarion Jazz saxophonist and composer Azar Lawrence and his Quartet will celebrate the legacy of John Coltrane and his music on the 81st anniversary of his birth on Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at Cotton Club West in Long Beach, California.Azar’s performance of such classic Coltrane compositions as “A Love Supreme”, “Crescent”, “Chim Chim Cheree”, “Impressions”, “My Favorite Things”, “My One and Only Love” and “Wise One” has the critics saying that,

“after a sabbatical Azar is playing with a vengeance and energy that underlies the unpredictable and searching solos of John Coltrane.”

For additional information and interviews, please contact Cotton Club West at (310) 654.1116 and for tickets visit http://www.groovetickets.com or call toll free (877) 714.7668 and for additional information visit http://www.cottonclubwest.com or http://www.clarionjazz.com

Comment by Leigh (Lee) Gordon from Long Beach, Calif — March 23, 2007 @ 10:25 pm

A great article: informative and enjoyable.  The memory of a Coltrane solo exploding out of my car speakers on a cool spring night (at a time when nighttime jazz was still easy to find) will always stay with me.  Reminding us of the great spirits of American music is a truly honorable pursuit.

Comment by jan flowers from US — March 23, 2007 @ 11:57 pm