JOHN COLTRANE: COLTRANE: The Development of the Modal Style Period Tom in!ent
Thesis submission in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Music (Honours)
O!to"er #$$$
School of Music Victorian College of the Arts Uniersit! Uniersit! of Melbourne
Statement of a%thenti!ity
This thesis is the original "or# of Tom Tom Vincent$ Vincent$ %here the research of other authors has been discussed it has been referenced in the te&t$
Tom Vincent 'ctober
Content&
*ore"ord Chapter
+ntroduction
Chapter ,
Biograph!
Chapter -
.iterature /eie"
Chapter 0
Musical +nfluences
Chapter 1
Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod
Chapter 4
The *inal 5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Brasilia9 9Transition9
Chapter :
Conclusion
Appendi& A
Transcriptions of Co Coltrane2s +mproisations8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9
Appendi& B
Chronolog! of of th the /e /ecordings ma made of of Co Coltrane from
Bibliograph!
2
Content&
*ore"ord Chapter
+ntroduction
Chapter ,
Biograph!
Chapter -
.iterature /eie"
Chapter 0
Musical +nfluences
Chapter 1
Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod
Chapter 4
The *inal 5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Brasilia9 9Transition9
Chapter :
Conclusion
Appendi& A
Transcriptions of Co Coltrane2s +mproisations8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9
Appendi& B
Chronolog! of of th the /e /ecordings ma made of of Co Coltrane from
Bibliograph!
2
'ore(ord
9M! goal is to lie the trul! trul! religious life and e&press it in m! music$ music$ +f !ou lie it6 "hen !ou pla! there>s no problem because the music is ?ust part of the "hole thing$ thing$ To be a musician musician is reall! reall! something$ something$ +t goes goes er!6 er!6 er! er! deep$ M! music is the spiritual e&pression of "hat + am @ m! faith 6 m! #no"ledge6 m! being$$$%hen !ou begin to see the possibilities of music6 !ou desire to do something reall! good for people6 to help humanit! free itself from its hang@ ups$ + thin# music music can ma#e the "orld "orld better and6 if +>m qualified6 + "ant to do it$ +>d li#e li#e to point out to people people the diine diine in a musical musical langua language ge that that transcends "ords$ + "ant to spea# to their souls$
1
9The true po"ers of music are still un#no"n$ $$$ +>m passionate about understanding these forces$ $$$ +t>s in that direction that + "ant to commit m!self and to go as far as possible$9
2
'H= C'.T/A=7
Chapter # 1Lewis
Uniersit! ! of Michigan Michigan 3ress6 3ress6 Ann Porter. John Coltrane, His Life and Music, Uniersit
Arbor6 6 ,-
2Porter
213
3
+nroduction
9+ "as a "aiter at the Village Vanguard in the earl! 4Ds6 and to me Coltrane "as li#e BachE for me there2s no one after either of them$93 +n common "ith Bach6 Coltrane "as a man of incredible musical maturit! "ith a prolific6 prolific6 consistentl! consistentl! high high qualit! output$ .i#e Bach he "as also a composer6 an improis improiser6 er6 and a deepl! deepl! religio religious us man$
This This paper inest inestigat igates es Coltrane Coltrane2s 2s
pioneering pioneering of modal ?a;;6 "ith particular reference to three musical musical e&les e&les from the final !ear of his modal period$ T"o piotal albums from 1 that inoled Coltrane "ere prominent ?a;; trumpeter and band leader Miles
3 J.C.
Thomas, Chasin' Chasin' the Trane, Trane, Doule Da!, ".#. 1$%&.1(2 )uote from *urt
*ritton
+
eident in the music$ The rapport bet"een 7lin ones (drums) and Coltrane is one of the most fertile in ?a;;$ imm! Garrison (bass) pla!ed "ith an equall! original st!le and sufficient humilit! to ma#e the "hole sound "or# so "ell$ He follo"ed Coltane2s improised implied harmonic moements "ith seemingl! ps!chic s!nchronicit!$ +n particular this paper e&amines three of Coltrane2s improisations$ These are 9Ac#no"ledgement9 from A Love Supreme6 recorded on
(
Chapter )
Biograph!
ohn %illiam Coltrane6 an onl! child6 "as born on ,- September ,4 in =orth Carolina$ His father died "hen Coltrane "as t"ele$ His mother>s father6 an authoritatie6 patriachal figure6 "as a Methodist minister$ At the age of t"ele Coltrane2s grades at school declined as his interest in music too# oer$ B! the age of seenteen6 Coltrane "as pla!ing professionall!6 haing moed from pla!ing clarinet to alto sa&aphone$ After the second "orld "ar6 Coltrane6 in his earl! t"enties6 "as pla!ing tenor sa&aphone "ith =a! bands$ The beaut! of his melodic inention is apparent in Coltrane2s recordings from the late 0Ds and earl! 1Ds as "ell as in his earl! compositions$ The bebop reolution "as in full s"ing and Coltrane "as an actie participant$ B! the mid 1Ds he had ?oined the bebop band of Miles
.ater
Coltrane re?oined
&
/eno"ned ?a;; pianist Thelonious Mon# had seen
He became thoroughl! self@educated in man! different
musical genres$ 'rnette Coleman "as an aant@garde alto sa&ophonist "ho came to prominence at this time and "hom Coltrane admired greatl!$ Coleman dispensed "ith not onl! a chordal instrument in his band but also "ith the harmonic restrictions that such an instrument easil! imposes$ 7ric
+ohn Coltrane6 from *ran# Kofs#!2s original liner notes to The John Coltrane Quartet Plays 419$
%
spending hundreds of hours practising "ith him($
(Dolh!
la!ed ass clarinet, alto saohone, and -ute.
3hill! oe ones on one engagement$ %hen Coltrane "as putting his o"n group together6 7lin ones "as his drummer of choice$ ones and T!ner ?oined Coltrane>s group in 4D$ Coltrane had #no"n T!ner from "hen the! both lied in 3hiladelphia$ T!ner had "or#ed on the Giant Steps chord changes "ith Coltrane "ell before the 9Giant Steps9 album "as recorded$ =either T!ner nor ones "ere aailable "hen Coltrane put his first group together6 but as soon as the! "ere able6 the! ?oined Coltrane and made seeral classic recordings "ith bass pla!er Stee
The innoations and ariations "ithin this staple
repertoire "ere prodigious$ +n an interie" in 3aris on =oember 4-6 Coltrane said he needed to get a"a! from pla!ing the same tunes oer and oer$& Coltrane2s originalit! made him imperious to assumptions about conentional format$ An e&le of this occurred in 4- "hen he recorded his composition
&Porter
231
$
9Alabama9 His phrasing on the piece is inspired b! a speech b! Martin .uther King r$ The composition is dedicated to the !oung blac# girls "ho "ere #illed in a Klu Klu& Klan church bombing in Alabama$ Half "a! through this sombre piece Coltrane suddenl! tells his sidemen to stop and then continues unaccompanied$
His
+t included a ballads
album6 an album "ith s solos "ere increasing in length6 harmonic language6 and emotional intensit!$ .i#e man! great innoators he "as faced "ith the isolation entailed in the brea#ing of ne" ground$ As musicologist6 Gerhard 3utschgl6 points out8 9one can perceie in the course of his deelopment an increasingl! uncompromising stance6 "hich regarded itself as obligated primaril! to"ard his o"n personal deelopment$9% /egardless of "hether or not Coltrane "as pla!ing bebop6 he "as al"a!s pla!ing in his o"n st!le and emerged "ith such distinctie concepts that he stands out een be!ond the "orld of ?a;;6 influencing man! aant garde "estern art composers$
%Putsch/0l
31$
1
Coltrane "as indefatigable$ 7er! !ear from as earl! as the Miles
This band6 of the last and most
iconoclastic period of Coltrane2s career6 rarel! directl! stated a pulse$ The music "as a radical6 !et logical6 deelopment from his modal period$ The 9flo"er po"er9 reolution of the 4Ds and other consciousness raising moements @ the se&ual reolution6 the anti"ar moement6 the blac# ciil rights moement6 the rise of improisation and spontaneit! of the aant@garde in the arts "orld from the 0Ds and 1Ds6 and the free ?a;; moement "ith its general re?ection of 7uro@centric aesthetics @ all contributed to the social enironment in "hich Coltrane "as "or#ing$ The! "ould naturall!6 if onl! indirectl!6 hae had their influences$ +t "as6 ho"eer6 the climate of his musical genre6 a time of e&ploratie ferment in the ?a;; "orld6 that made Coltrane a man for6 and ultimatel! "ell ahead of6 his time$ Coltrane>s music is er! dense$ +ts profundit! eoled through relentless dail! stud! and deelopment$ He "as religious in a personal "a! and all of his music "as embued "ith this sanctit!$ There "as nothing triial about Coltrane>s approach to music$ =at Hentoff puts it "ell in his C< liner notes for #e$ Thin" at #e$port (41)8 LColtrane has alread! made it in the sense that he has a si;eable international audience$ B! his o"n stern criteria6 he "ill neer entirel! Lma#e it in terms of "hat he "ants to sa! because the essence of Coltrane is an infinit! of searching$
CD
liner notes to "ew Thin0 at "ewort "at Hento $.
11
Chapter *
.iturature /eie"
The most important "or#s on Coltrane aailable toda! are8 John Coltrane, $ %is Life and usic b! .e"is 3orter , John Coltrane& A 'isco"raphy and usical
Bio"raphy b! 5asuhiro *u?io#a1 , John Coltrane and the Afro American (ral Tradition b! Gerhard 3utschgl116 and the transcriptions of Coltrane2s solos b! Andre" %hite12$ .e"is 3orter6 a ?a;; sa&ophonist and pianist himself6 is a great admirer of Coltrane$ His in@depth and thorough account of Coltrane2s life and music opens up dimensions of understanding for a heightened appreciation of Coltrane2s achieement$ +t is the first ma?or publication to ac#no"ledge the full significance of Coltrane2s great contribution6 not onl! to the field of ?a;;6 but also to other fields of popular and classical music$ 3orter goes so far as to gie him the title of 9first "orld musician9$ 'f particular interest in respect to this paper is his chapter on A Love Supreme "ith its clear anal!sis of the first moement of this suite6 9Ac#no"ledgement9$
$Lewis
Porter. John Coltrane, His Life and Music, Uniersit! of Michigan 3ress6 Ann
Arbor $ 1 #asuhiro
4u5io6a. John Coltrane a Disco0rah! and Musical *io0rah! ,
Scarecro" 3ress6 Metuchen6 1$
117erhard
Putsch/0l. John Coltrane 8nd Die 9froamericanische :raltradition,
Ja;; 4orschun0 2( <1$$3=, 7ra;, 9ustria. 129ndrew
>hite, 9ndrew's Music,>ashin0ton
12
3orter has researched Coltrane2s childhood and famil! circumstances "ith academic rigour6 unearthing factual information and reealing a broad picture of his heritage and the social enironment in "hich Coltrane "as raised$ =umerous rare photographs and interie"s are shared "ith the reader as "ell as accounts of Coltrane2s teenage !ears and the time he spent in =a! bands$ /ecent interie"s "ith ?a;; sa&ophonist6 imm! Heath6 "ho spent man! !ears "ith Coltrane6 reeal intricacies of Coltrane2s musical and emotional deelopment$ These interie"s coer the late 0Ds and earl! 1Ds6 "hich he spent touring America "ith blues bands and later pla!ing "ith ?a;; legends
13
Both 3utschgl2s and 3orter2s coerage of Coltrane2s modal period are discussed in Chapter 1$ Andre" %hite2s transcriptions are a reliable documentation of Coltrane2s recorded improisations and a most aluable resource for the anal!sis of Coltrane2s music$
His transcriptions of the three recordings under discussion hae been
transposed into concert pitch in order to gie eas! access to inestigation on piano$ The! are appended to this paper$ *u?io#a2s concise 'isco"raphy and usical Bio"raphy reeals the ama;ing amount of music Coltrane produced both in the studio and in concerts around the "orld$ +n terms of output alone6 Coltrane2s achieement is impressie$ Another publication that uses Coltrane as a central figure is Blac) #ationalism and the *evolution in usic b! *ran# Kofs#!$13 +n the "or#6 in an interie" "ith Coltrane6 Kofs#! attempts to endo" him "ith a certain political stance6 as#ing Coltrane questions "hich tr! to corner him into agreement "ith Kofs!2s political agenda$
+t is understandable that attempts hae been made to
associate Coltrane "ith the blac# cultural struggle gien the intensit! and the e&pressie po"er of his music and his brea# "ith 7uro@centric structural methods$ There "ere certainl! some political dimensions to the free@?a;; moement of the time6 but Coltrane himself has made it clear6 on other occasions6 that "hat motiated his endeaours "as a deepl! felt spiritual impulse that transcended politics$ .astl!6 Chasin+ the Trane6 subtitled6 9The Music and M!stique of ohn Coltrane96 b! $C$Thomas6 should be mentioned$1+ This biograph! of Coltrane is romantic and some"hat anecdotal compared "ith 3orter2s rigorous research and toda! the scholarl! "orld does not rel! on it$
=eertheless6 its e&istence is an
indication of the cult status that Coltrane had acquired$
134ran6 1+ J.C.
?ofs6!. *lac6 "ationalism and the @eAolution in Music
Thomas, Chasin' the Trane, Doule Da!, ".#. 1$%&.
1+
The public "as fascinated b! Coltrane and his monumental output from 11 until his death ?ust t"ele !ears later in 4:$ Man! critics found his earl! bebop improisations "ith the Miles s ugl!6 strangulated sound6 the result is li#e a lost soul in torment$ The one e&ception to this is 9=iama96 "hich ma#es a pleasant contrast in that it is a ballad6 and of course a delightful tune as "ell6 and it onl! lasts seen minutesJ1( +n retrospect6 this could be considered a fairl! straight performance6 but at the time it represented a radical step$ Coltrane "as introducing elements of post@Coleman tonalit! into a musical "orld that6 for all its emotional intensit!6 "as ruled b! strict and er! different rules$1&
The radical nature of Coltrane2s music tended to elicit e&treme responses$ The rapidit! of his e&traordinar! deelopment6 combined "ith the eident "a! in "hich his spiritual commitment increasingl! flaoured his sound6 ultimatel! resulted in a massie "ae of popular response that irtuall! amounted to cult "orship$ This often had more to do "ith the feelings that his music eo#ed than it had to do "ith intellectual appreciation of the coherence of his comple& and radical constructs$ %riting in 6 Charles <$ Gerard reflects on this phenomenonE ohn Coltrane "as ac#no"ledged b! his follo"ers as such an e&emplar! figure$ His music reealed to them an indiidual "ho had reached an eleated state of consciousness$ *or seeral decades the ?a;; communit! had ascribed special importance to altered states of consciousness6 either drug@induced or musicall! inspired$ Coltrane sho"ed that religious m!sticism 1(Mi#e Shera .ie in Antibes6 41 a;; +nt 0:8,, 'ct 0$ 1&a;; ournal +nternational6 , March p,4 ohn ColtraneNArchie Shepp L=e" Thing at
=e"port 41 reie" b! Barr! Mc/ae$
1(
could lead someone to such a state "ithout into&icants$ +n this respect he "as a role model for !oung musicians "ho "anted to ?oin the ?a;; communit! "ithout becoming alcoholics or drug users$ Shortl! after his death it "as common to see ?ugs of "ater on stage6 in "hat "as sometimes a pointed displa! of the performers> sobriet!$ Coltrane>s spiritual a"a#ening had a profound effect on his music$ %hile he "as undergoing it he had musical dreams in "hich he heard sounds that he spent the rest of his life tr!ing to recapture$ +n one dream Charlie 3ar#er told him to #eep "or#ing on his ne" approach to harmon!$ After his religious a"a#ening Coltrane>s music gre" to become monumentall! intense6 seemingl! created in a state of m!stical enthrallment$1%
a;; historian
'utside the %est6 Coltrane2s music elicited strong responses of a distinctl! diided nature also8 + "as much disturbed b! his music$ Here "as a creatie person "ho had become a egetarian6 "ho "as stud!ing !oga and reading the Bhagaad@ Gita6 !et in "hose music + still heard much turmoil$ + could not understand it$1$ %hen + heard Coltrane on record6 there "as tranquillit! and serenit! in his music$ + do not recall the #ind of restlessness in Coltrane>s music as + hae heard in other t!pes of music and from other musicians$2
1%Gerard6 Charles <$ 3D a;; in Blac# and %hite %estport8 3raeger $ 13orter ,4$ 1$Thomas6 /ai Shan#ar 1$$. 2 Thomas,
S"amisatchidananda 1$$.
1&
Much has been said about Coltrane oer the last fort! !ears$ +nterestingl! enough6 it is onl! no" in the last thirteen !ears that6 through the "or# of people such as 3orter and 3utschgl6 a deeper understanding of "hat Coltrane "as actuall! doing has been reealed$
Chapter +
Musical +nfluences
1%
Coltrane "as raised in an all blac# neighbourhood of a small southern to"n in =orth Carolina6 "here the African Methodist 7piscopal Oion Church and the Fua#ers e&erted a strong influence$ +n the Afro@oral tradition6 religious ritual "as saturated "ith music and glossilalia "as #no"n to bubble up$ 21 Spirituals and the blues "ere a natural heritage$ His earliest sa&ophonist role models "ere Hodges6 %ebster6 and 5oung of the s"ing era6 and then 3ar#er6 "hen he came to prominence in the late 0Ds$ Hodges2s renditions of the blues and ballads are characterised b! rich sensuous tones and an abundance of aried e&pressie nuancesE a melodic soulfulness$ 3ar#er2s st!le6 in contrast6 emphasises drie6 pitch6 and rh!thm$ Hodges2s influence can be surmised in Coltrane2s slo"6 rubato compositions and his beautiful renditions of ballads$ Coltrane2s use of false fingering techniques "as pioneered b! 5oung among others$
Coltrane too# the d!namic intensit! of
3ar#er2s st!le to preiousl! une&plored territor!$ There "ere no precursers in ?a;; for his e&pressie range of timbre6 his st!le of motiic deelopment6 and the rich rh!thmic te&ture of his groups2 sound$ The ?a;; "orld of Coltrane2s time "as a liel! enironment$
He "as
surrounded b! the outstanding "or#ing ?a;; musicians of the period$ a;;6 due to its improisational nature6 depends cruciall! on the collectie energ! of the pla!ersE their interaction and communication$ The e&ceptional italit! around him6 and the cross fertilisation that "as occurring all the time6 nurtured the essence of his o"n creatiit!$ Ho"eer6 the originalit! of his concepts is eident from 1: and became increasingl! distinctie and radical up until his untimel! death a decade later$
21the
word 0lossilalia is a term emlo!ed to descrie sea6in0 in ton0ues.
1
Coleman2s freel! melodic pol!tonalit! had an influence on Coltrane "hich is not obious due to their radicall! different st!les6 but "as important in Coltrane2s deelopment$ Coltrane said of him8 + loe him$ +>m follo"ing his lead$ He>s done a lot to open m! e!es to "hat can be done$$$$+ feel indebted to him6 m!self$ Because6 actuall!6 "hen he came along6 + "as so far in this thing LGiant Steps chordsI6 + didn>t #no" "here + "as going to go ne&t$ And + don>t #no" if + "ould hae thought about ?ust abandoning the chord s!stem or not$ + probabl! "ouldn>t hae thought of that at all$ And he came along doing it6 and + heard it6 + said6 L%ell6 that must be the ans"er$ $$$Since + hae a piano6 "e hae to consider it6 and that accounts for the modes that "e pla!6 but$$$after a "hile6 that>s going to get a little monotonous to do it on eer! song6 so there probabl! "ill be some songs in the future that "e>re going to pla!6 ?ust as 'rnette does6 "ith no accompaniment from the piano at all @ e&cept on ma!be the melod!6 but as far as the solo6 no accompaniment$22
Coltrane greatl! admired
e&treme interalic melodic leaps6 quarter tones6 speech li#e phrases6 original timbres6 and his unique melodic and harmonic conception$ The "orld@music influences in Coltrane2s "or# are man!$ 3orter points out that in most cases Coltrane2s lic#s are not traceable to the influences that helped create them$ He goes on to sa!8 9'ne "a! that Coltrane deeloped this unique sound "orld is b! bringing into his music @ and through his influence6 into all of ?a;; and be!ond @ an eclectic collection of method boo#s6 e&ercises6 and scales from around the "orld$ The eclecticism gae his st!le originalit! @ the more "idespread one>s sources6 the less one sounds li#e an! one of them$23
22 3orter ,D-$ 233orter ,4$
1$
*rom "estern music he endorsed6 b! thorough use6 the Slomins)y Thesaurus of elodic Patterns and Scales6 "ritten in 0:$ 3orter points out that Coltrane2s broader mission "as to discoer the uniersalities in music$ His interest coered scales and modes from +ndia6 Algeria6 China6 apan6 and the Middle 7ast$ He "as er! much influenced b! African and +ndian music6 using drones and pedal point passages in a large portion of his "or#$ He studied fol#loric African recordings and recordings of Michael Babatunde 'latun?i6 the =igerian drummer$ This influence can be heard in his use of ostinatos6 "hereb! each instrument is gien its o"n rh!thm$ re singing these rh!thms6 some of their natie rh!thms6 so + too# part of it and gae it to the bass$ And 7lin pla!s a part and McCo! managed to find something to pla!6 some #ind of chords$ + didn>t tell him "hat chords6 + said6 P+>m through "ith it$> And so he>s on his o"n6 and +>m going on m! o"n6 seeQ$$$Still no melod!6 though$ .aughsI + had to ma#e the melod! as + "ent along$ But at least +>m tr!ing to thin# of a melod!E +>m not referring to the chords to get the melod!$2+
3orter mentions that 9$$$African structural concepts ma! hae influenced him too @ %est African drumming groups "ill repeat one section until the leader gies a
2+Porter
213.
2
cue to go onto the ne&t6 much as Coltrane does in 9M! *aorite Things9 'ctober 4DI9$2( The influence of +ndian music is clear in pieces such as 9+ndia9 (4)6 a chant that remains constantl! on G pedal point$ 3orter posits the influence of the =orth +ndian st!le of sitar improisation6 also 9$$$perhaps in the "a! he li#es to repeat and deelop short moties in his improisations$92&
This is arguable$
Since the
publication of 3orter2s "or#6 3utschgl has made an anal!sis of the st!listic characteristics of the American Afro@oral tradition$
Since the appearance of
3utschgl2s "or#6 it seems li#el! that Coltrane2s t!pical forms of repetition and deelopment of short moties in his improisations are as much a result of his o"n Afro@oral cultural heritage as the! are a result of influence from other ethnic sources$ Coltrane ac#no"ledged the influence of +ndian music on his "or#6 but it "as the spirit of the music that he emphasised8 + li#e /ai Shan#ar 2% er! much$ %hen + hear his music6 + "ant to cop! it @ not note for note of course6 but in his spirit$ %hat brings me closest to /ai is the modal aspect of his art$ Currentl!6 at the particular stage + find m!self in6 + seem to be going through a modal phase$$$$There>s a lot of modal music that is pla!ed eer! da! throughout the "o rld$ +t>s particularl! eident in Africa6 but if !ou loo# at Spain or Scotland6 +ndia or China6 !ou>ll discoer this again in each case$ +f !ou "ant to loo# be!ond the differences in st!le6 !ou "ill confirm that there is a common base$ That>s er! important$ Certainl!6 the popular music of 7ngland is not that of South America6 but ta#e a"a! their purel! ethnic characteristics @ that is6 their fol#loric aspect @ and !ou>ll discoer the presence of the same pentatonic sonorit!$ +t>s this uniersal aspect of music that interests me and attracts meE that>s "hat +>m aiming for$92
2(Porter
213.
2&Porter
213.
2%"orth
Bndian sitar Airtuoso.
23orter ,$
21
Coltrane "as searching for no less than the elements that constitute a transforming po"er in music$ +>e alread! been loo#ing into those approaches to music @ as in +ndia @ in "hich particular sounds and scales are intended to produce specific emotional meanings$$$ + "ould li#e to bring to people something li#e happiness$ + "ould li#e to discoer a method so that if + "ant it to rain6 it "ill start right a"a! to rain$ +f one of m! friends is ill6 +>d li#e to pla! a certain song and he "ill be curedE "hen he>d be bro#e6 +>d bring out a different song and immediatel! he>d receie all the mone! he needed$ But "hat are these pieces and "hat is the road to trael to attain a #no"ledge of them6 that + don>t #no"$2$
Throughout Coltrane2s modal period6 the underlining melodic and harmonic structure of his music is that of fourth based moties$ This contrasts "ith most ?a;; and %estern music in general6 "hich builds on a basic structure of ma?or and minor chords$ 3orter obseres that 9This gies his music a serious6 rather abstract sound and $$$ it probabl! contributes to the spiritual element in his music$93 This pentatonic sonorit!6 "hich Coltrane detected as the common base beneath the ethnic differences of much fol# music "orld@"ide6 can also be found in the Afro@christian chanted sermon$ *ourths are also6 of course6 a basis of the blues$ As 3orter sa!s8 9That mi&ture of intense blues and spiritual ferour gies his music astounding po"er931 3orter goes on to ma#e a #e! obseration6 "hich "as later to be ta#en up and e&plored so aluabl! b! 3utschgl8 9The "a! he builds his solos b! deeloping short ideas at length6 repeating them in different registers and building up to higher and higher notes6 ma#es him a preacher on the sa&ophone$932 Coltrane2s music has been influenced b! an e&ceptional number of sources$ 3articularl! stri#ing is the connection bet"een characteristics of Coltrane2s modal 2$3orter ,-$ 3Porter
21%.
31Porter
21%.
32Porter
21%.
22
music and those of the American blac# preaching formulae6 "ith roots in the Afro@ oral tradition$ +t is perhaps because Coltrane2s improisational inspiration is deried in essence from fol# roots that his sound has such enduring italit!$
Chapter ,
Coltrane2s Music from 1 to 40
There are three periods in Coltrane2s music$ The bebop period from 10 to 1 "as follo"ed b! his modal period6 from around 1@4D until 41$ His last
23
brief period from the end of 41 until his death in 4: has been less rerearched$ +t is termed 2post modal2 in this paper for the sa#e of conenience6 but the term is not necessaril! definitie$ T"o ma?or corner stones of ?a;; "ere recorded t"o months apart at the beginning of 1$ The! "ere Kind of Blue and Giant Steps$ +n *ebruar!6
.i#e
Cannonball6 Coltrane "ould impl! chord changes but in a different "a!E in more of a Llate bop ernacular$ +n April 1 Coltrane recorded Giant Steps He had deeloped a chord sequence pattern "hich he used in different "a!s and in ar!ing degrees of intensit!$ The title trac#6 LGiant Steps6 is a ?a;; student2s stud! legac!$ +t embodied Coltrane>s chordal ferris "heel6 moing quic#l! through three different equidistant tonal centres8 B6 G6 and 7b$ This is an interesting "a! of "inding bac# harmonic resolution$ B ma?or6 < dominant : NG manor6 B flat dominant : N7b$$$NA minor :6 < dominant : NG ma?or :6 B flat dominant : N7b ma?or6 * sharp dominant : NB ma?or$$$ 3orter gies us Coltrane2s "ords on the sub?ect8
2+
9At first + "asn2t sure6 because + "as deling into sequences6 and + felt that + should hae the rh!thm section pla! the sequences right along "ith me6 and "e all go do"n this "inding road$ But after seeral tries and failures at this6 it seemed better to hae them go free @ as free as possible$ And then !ou superimpose "hateer sequences !ou "ant to oer them$933
His rh!thm section pla!ed modall!6 through "hich he "ould sometimes impl! Giant Steps chord changes in his improisations$ Kind of Blue "as the first prominent modal ?a;; album$ Giant Steps could be characterised as the final deelopment of bebop$ Coltrane>s most famous modal composition is L+mpressions "hich "as first recorded in 4D$ +t is based on the same -, bar form as LSo %hat from the album6 Kind of Blue8 AABA$ The A section is in < minor and the B section is in 7b minor$ This is a basic concept of modal ?a;;E using one chordNscale6 usuall! of a minor tonalit!6 for "hole sections of music$ Bebop had chords changing eer! bar or t"o and usuall! t"ice in one bar$ Melodic naigation through the eer changing chord related scales of bebop requires of the improiser a er! different conceptual approach from that required b! modal ?a;;$ These t"o contrasting tonal approaches fuelled Coltrane2s deelopment through the earl! 4Ds8 The quic#l! changing harmonic structure li#e that of LGiant Steps "hich he used in his melodic lines6 and the slo"l! changing harmonic structure such as he used inL+mpressions$ The range of his repertoire from this period6 both lie and recorded6 is discussed in Chapter ,$ Songs from a ariet! of genres "ere reitalised b! Coltrane2s treatment$ Through 3utschgl2s deconstruction of the final recordings of 9Mr 3C9 and 9Traning +n9 from 'ctober and =oember of 4-6 he demonstrates the stri#ing ariet! of innoatie "a!s in "hich Coltrane2s modal st!le of pla!ing reitalised the blues form$
33Porter
The blues oice@sequence becomes a central principle of melodic
1&%.
2(
stucture in Coltrane2s modal treatments6 and he returned the blues from the characteristic ma?or@chord implications of the bebop st!le to its modal origins in reanimated form$ Modal ?a;; "as a radical ne" departure in that the motiic formula replaced the chord sequence as the ma?or structural deice$ %ithin this ne" open modal st!le of pla!ing Coltrane used identifiable structural techniques both in the oerall form of his solos and also in the actual melodic phrases$ thoroughl! anal!sed b! 3utschgl and 3orter$
These techniques hae been
The! obsere that throughout
Coltrane2s modal period6 although he "as al"a!s e&ploring ne" changes and ariations6 his st!le did not alter in an! radical sense$ His astonishing deelopment of that time of his most influential music too# place "ithin the basic st!listic confines of formulaic improisation6 ho"eer far it ma! hae traeled from the formulae of bebop$ 3utschgl usefull! anal!ses the characteristics of Coltrane2s structurall! innoatie melodic lines of this period6 and the "a! in "hich his permutations of pentatonic scales created ne" melodic combinations of interals$ +n this e&panded s!stem of pentatonics can be heard the distinctie non@"estern melodic influences discussed in the preious Chapter$ Coltrane incorporated the tripartite diision of the octae6 as used in 9Giant Steps96 "ith pentatonics6 to create "inding paths of melodic chromatacism$ The rh!thm section "as free to "ander modall! "hile the third c!cle ocabular! e&panded melodicall!$ 3utschgl coined the phrase 9formulaic units9 to describe the episodic patterns that characterise the structure of Coltrane2s modal music$ These units are formulaic in that the! are defined b! conentional chorus or eight bar parameters$ The! are usuall! either binar! or ternar!E the binar! consisting of contrasting sections6 and the ternar! consisting of t"o contrasting sections and then a resolution or clima&$
2&
3utschgl2s "or# is rich in its detailing of the analogous nature of Coltrane2s structural methods and e&pressie effects to that of the African oral tradition$ *irst8 He describes the blac# sermon principle of ariation and permutation of a basic motif or idea6 "here aesthetic alue is placed on the s#ill and ariet! of circumlocution$ This principle6 "hich stands in contrast to the %estern linear method of communication6 is clearl! eident as a means of melodic organisation in Coltrane2s modal deelopment$ Second8 He outlines a principle of controlled d!namic and dramatic increase6 a form of 9ecstaticisation96 designed to stimulate the gro"ing emotional inolement of the listener$ Techniques include "hat 3utschgl has termed 9running@note stalling9 (the brea#ing up of long notes into repeated or alternating notes6 as 3orter describes it)6 9glossilalia9 (spea#ing in tongues or 9false fingering9 in 3orter2s terminolog!)6 and 9screaming96 9hon#ing96 and 9;ooning9 at the e&tremes of register$
+ntensit! of
e&pressie gesture and e&treme sonic ariation are hallmar#s of Coltrane2s oice$ The modal st!le of ?a;; "ith its reduced use of chordal progressions allo"ed comple& rh!mic te&ture to ta#e a more predominant role in the music$ 3utschgl aptl! ac#no"ledges the importance of ones6 particularl! the strong d!namic significance and e&pressie po"er of his characteristic ternar! groupings "ithin his as!metrical forms of moement$ This st!le of drumming gae Coltrane ma&imum fle&ibilit! and support$ +n an interie" in 4-6 Coltrane comments on the d!namics of the rh!thm section8 +t is necessar! to hae a firm beat going6 (but) it2s not necessar! to hae eer!one pla!ing 0N06 + mean rigidl!$ Bet"een the three man or the t"o man pianolessI rh!thm section6 there should be enough interpla! to gie !ou at eer! point of the song the same solidarit! that !ou get in 0N06 but it "ill be implied sometimes instead of actuall! pla!ed$ =o" this thing6 it can be done and sometimes it is done but it has to be the right combination of indiiduals pla!ing$ The! hae to reall! feel this "a!6 and the! hae to hae er! good sounds$ The! hae to be able to produce good qualit! sound on the instrument so "hen the! do pla!6 "hat the! pla! "ill sustain and thus create
2%
this leel of samenessI underneath6 although it "ill be bro#en actuall! as it2s pla!ed$3+
Chapter -
The *inal5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9
3+Porter
21+.
2
This chapter inestigates Coltrane2s modal st!le in its final phase6 from =oember 40 to
This is done through the anal!sis of three
e&les$ The chronolog! of the large number of recordings made of Coltrane during the period can be found in Appendi& B$
9Ac#no"ledgement9 The first piece of music to be discussed is 9Ac#no"ledgement96 recorded on
He made it clear6 b!
publishing the poem inside the coer of the album6 that both are intended to e&press the same message$
2$
+n order to nurture spontaneit!6 Coltrane gae er! little information to his group$ He introduced them to the music at the recording session "here the! pla!ed it for the first time$ 3orter
obseres
that
9The
four
sections
of A
Love
Supreme6
LAc#no"ledgement6 L/esolution6 L3ursuance6 and L3salm6 suggest a #ind of pilgrim>s progress6 in "hich the pilgrim ac#no"ledges the diine6 resoles to pursue it6 searches6 and 6 eentuall!6 celebrates "hat has been attained in song$93( The metricall! free flo"ing structure of 93salm9 indicates the direction of his later deelopment$
The other moements2 metric orientation is similar to the
established Coltrane sound$ The beautiful eolution of the suite gro"s from a strong and simple musical cell$ B 7 *R
cell a
Coltrane starts the suite "ith a relatiel! brief fanfare in "hich he uses onl! the three notes of this cell$ After this it is Garrison "ho is the first to set a pulse$ He pla!s8 * Ab (*) Bb
cell b
The interallic relationship of * Ab Bb is a logical deelopment from the interalic relationship of B 7 *R$ After opening up a tone from the second note to the third6 it no" folds in a tone (from the third note to the second) * Bb C
* Ab Bb
(the interallic relationships hae been transposed to a common #e!6 *6 for clarit!)
3(Porter
23&
3
The interals in the fanfare cell delineate neither ma?or nor minor tonalit!$ B! s"inging its smallest interal in mirror fashion as e&plained aboe6 there is no" a minor tonalit!$
T!ner2s improised addition of GR in his accompaniment to the
fanfare creates the onl! ma?or tonalit! in the entire suite$ This cell is e&ceedingl! fertile as it gies "a! to infinite natural deelopments$ +n its second inersion it is simpl! a oicing of t"o fourths$ The "hole modal concept of harmon! is based on fourths and is referred to as quartal harmon!$ T!ner pioneered this approach on piano$ After Garrison starts the 9Ac#no"ledgment9 ostinato6 ones ?oins the pulse "ith his eocatie [email protected] drum feel$ This is soon follo"ed b! bare T!ner quartal accompaniment $ After si&teen bars Coltrane comes in "ith the melod!8 C G *
The first t"o phrases use cell a starting on C and then *$ Cell a and cell b are combined in the third phrase6 creating the first run of three "hole tones in the piece$ The fourth phrase6 a response to the first three phrases6 uses cell b starting on C and then * "hich adds 7b to the deelopment and thus completes the blues scale$ 'n the t"elfth bar of Coltrane2s solo Garrison climbs up to a repeated quaer 7b figure in an empathetic cr!$ There is no set chord progression used in 9Ac#no"ledgment9$ Garrison and T!ner follo" Coltrane as he moes into different tonal areas a quarter of the "a! through his solo$ The oerall tonal centre of * minor6 ho"eer6 remains throughout$ 3orter has it that Coltrane said that Lthe first part is not composed of a fi&ed number of measures$3& After the first si&teen bars of Coltrane2s solo6 the strictness of eight or si&teen bar sounding sections dissipates$ +mmediatel! before Coltrane enters6 ones starts to use semi quaers "hich propel the music "ith their s!ncopation and
3&Porter ,-:$
31
continue throughout Coltrane2s solo$ ones6 often ?oined b! T!ner6 accents the first beat of eer! bar6 grounding the music$ +n the -1th bar of his solo Coltrane starts transposing cell b into different #e!s6 #eeping it in its basic form$ B! the 4Dth bar he has pla!ed the cell in eleen #e!s$ At bar 4 Coltrane pla!s cell b in its final transposition6 repeating it fie times$ Although 3orter obseres Coltrane2s final modulation of the cell into the t"ele #e!s6 he does not mention this first 9pan@tonal9 deelopment$ +n bet"een the deeloping cell fragments Coltrane pla!s man! s"eeping6 s"elling flurries6 thirteen of "hich are semi quaer quintuplets$ At bar , Coltrane uses < natural for the first time as part of the * minor tonalit!$ This lift from aeolian to dorian occurs ?ust before Coltrane2s final cell b ostinato$ At the th bar of his solo Coltrane pla!s the cell b ostinato figure in its original #e!6 in unison "ith Garrison$ *or the ne&t -4 bars until the end of his improisation6 Coltrane repeats cell b eer! bar in the same rh!thm6 pla!ing it in eer! #e!$ He ends b! repeating the cell in unison "ith Garrison eight times$ +t is at this point that the chant6 9A .oe Supreme96 begins6 sung b! Coltrane and another6 possibl! Garrison$ Coltrane2s structural method no" becomes clear$ 9%e realise that this "as the goal to"ard "hich Coltrane directed his solo$ He brilliantl! e&ecuted a reerse deelopment6 saing the e&position $$$ for the end$ He>s telling us that God is eer!"here @ in eer! register6 in eer! #e! @ and he>s sho"ing us that !ou hae to discoer religious belief $$$(that) the listener has to e&perience the process and then the listener is read! to hear the chant$ As "e listen to the music6 its meaning unfolds for us$93% a;; improisation in music is analogous to the e&periential rather than the doctrinal approach in religion$ 3erhaps this "as part of the reason "h! Coltrane did
3%Porter
2+2.
32
not tell his band about the underl!ing inspiration of the suite2s conception$ He "as preparing a space of receptiit! in the hearts of his sidemen and listeners ali#e$
9Bra;ilia9 9Bra;ilia9 is the longest trac# on the album6 9The John Coltrane Quartet Plays$ +t "as recorded on : Ma! 416 fie months after the recording of A Love Supreme Coltrane2s st!le deeloped considerabl! during these interening months$ +n 9Bra;ilia9 "e find the beginnings of Coltrane2s moe into his post@modal period$ There is continuing deelopment of modal ocabular! and this is mar#ed b! increased motiic and paraphrastic ariation$ The improisator! settings are less delineated b! harmonic preconceptions$ At this crossoer point bet"een Coltrane2s modal and post@modal periods6 the eight bar or start@of@chorus sign@posts appear to dissole$ 9Bra;ilia9 combines the use of metricall! free sections "ith quarter time6 four beat s"ing feel$
+t deelops further the loose adherence to a minor tonalit!
foundation that can be heard in 9Ac#no"ledgment9$ The theme6 an ABA form6 is based on t"o different t"ele@tone passages$ The "or# incorporates pentatonics6 "hole tone scales and deriations of Coltrane2s 9Giant Steps9 ocabular!$ 'nl! the theme and the coda are pla!ed in free meter6 in "hat 3utschgl calls the 9cantillation9 st!le$ The deolopment of this free st!le is a basic departure from the formal rh!thmic conentions of ?a;;$ 3utschgl locates its origin in the blac# Gospel solo conentions$
The bod! of the "or#6 "hich is more conentionall!
modal6 consists of improisations in quarter time$ 9Bra;ilia9 starts "ith a rubato duet bet"een Coltrane and ones in "hich Coltrane pla!s the theme$ As there is no harmonic accompaniment6 Coltrane is free to pla! the theme as he feels6 shaping the t"ele@tone ro"s "ith connecting notes "hich disguise these s#eletel structures$
33
+t has a structure "hich could be loosel! described as ternar! "ithin ternar! "ithin ternar!$ The oerall form consists of a sa&ophone solo follo"ed b! a piano solo follo"ed b! another sa&ophone solo$ 7ach t"ele@tone ro" of the theme is comprised of three four@note cells$ %ithin the ?u&taposition of the t"o t"ele@tone ro"s6 the motion is contrar! for the first seen pitches6 parallel for the ne&t three6 and contrar! for the last8 dia"ram
Coltrane adds an e&tra final note to the final cell (cell M6 the third cell of the second t"ele@tone ro" B)6 "hich creates a fie note cell consisting of the four smallest interals in our %estern scale$ As a final cell6 it has an apt qualit! of closure brought about b! the use of smaller and smaller interals$ This is a er! subtle construct$
There "as an increasing degree of abstraction in the structuring of
Coltrane2s melod! as his modal "or# deeloped$ This tendenc! ma! not hae been deliberate6 but as Coltane sa!s6 95ou hae to do a lot of "or# consciousl!6 then !ou can leae the rest to !our subconscious later on$3 'n the other hand6 perhaps these intricate relationships "ere a conscious aspect of Coltrane2s composition$ +n the liner notes to 9Transition96 the ne&t piece to be discussed6 Alice Coltrane is quoted as sa!ing 9He "as doing a lot of "riting6 een more "riting than practicing6 and !ou #no" ho" much time he spent practicing$93$ %hen the improisations in 9Bra;ilia9 are anal!sed6 although relationships are less clearl! eident than the! are in his modal "or# of preious !ears6 there is too much
3 3orter ,D1$ 3$"at
Hento 1$%liner notes to Transition CD.
3+
coherence of structure at all leels for the piece to hae been composed spontaneousl!$ The theme of Coltrane2s composition 9Miles2 Mode96 recorded in 46 uses a strict t"ele@tone ro" immediatel! follo"ed b! its retrograde6 follo"ed b! improisations based on the tonalit! of C minor$ +n the improisations in 9Bra;ilia96 the t"ele tone s!stem appears to hae been abandoned again$ The improisations are loosel! based in 7b minor$ %hen as#ed about improising in the t"ele tone method he said 9s the feeling that counts during improisationI$ 5ou pla! all , notes in !our solo an!"a!$9+ There are traceable elements from Slomins#!2s Thesaurus in the coda$ The length! build up to the conclusion of the coda alludes again to the Gospel solo tradition$
9Transition9 'f the three pieces discussed in this paper6 9Transition9 best illustrates Coltrane2s use of the declamation st!le of the blac# preacher idiom$6 "here 9d!namic intensification is ino#ed b! the use of paraphrastic repetition$9+1 3utschgl argues persuasiel! that 9some of the most conincing and s!stematicall! constructed forms of reappropriation and transfomation of blac# oral culture can be found in the music of ohn Coltrane$9+2 He maintains that 9the most authentic forms of significant creatie and e&pressie features of Afro@American performatie culture can be found in the structural sequence of religious rituals$9+3 He adds that 9the 2chanted sermon2 represents the most s!stematic construction and
+Porter
231.
+13utschgl --,$ +23utschgl --0$ +33utschgl --0$
3(
the most intense forms of e&pressie and communicatie elements$$$of these ritualsI$9 ++ 3utschgl refers to the #e! organising deice of the chanted sermon as 9paraphrase ariation98
9the most applied creatie mode in the "hole blac#
"orld$$$9+( and an art form basicall! alien to traditional 7uro@centric aesthetics$ He describes it as 9a ar!ing@repetitie@circling around a tonal6 rh!thmic or te&tual 2basic formula2$9+& +t is6 "ithout doubt6 a most highl! regarded artistic abili! "ithin the culture$ The declamation form of sermon line is a linear shape "here recitation sta!s mainl! on one note$ The technique of 9paraphrase ariation9 groups these lines into larger sections$
These groups deelop through the use of d!namics$
increase occurs both "ithin a number of periods in the sermon and also6 these periods themseles build in increasing intensit! to the highl! charged clima&$ This technique stimulates the full emotional participation of the congregation$ 9Transition9 has a continuous metrical basis throughout and the theme at the start and finish is in the phr!gian mode$ +n parts of his improisations Coltrane uses the a "holetone scale to create sections "hich impl! an ascending melodic minor scale "ith a flat second$ He uses a great ariet! of melodic fragments in related groups throughout both of his improisations$ This is one of the recording2s most noticeable features$
The piece is based on a single scale tonal foundation but
coherence is achieed through the use of episodic sections$ The other noticeable feature of the piece is the series of "ailing clima&es6 similar to a blac# sermon$ The note g (t"o octaes aboe middle c)6 at the pea# of these clima&es is sustained and emphatic$ The structure of his improisations is built around this note$
++3utschgl --4$ +(3utschgl --4$ +&3utschgl --4$
3&
There are man! pea#s "ithin 9Transition9 "here Coltrane builds up to screaming altissimo phrases$ Coltrane pla!s the first improisation6 and then T!ner6 and then Coltrane ta#es a second6 longer solo "here three e&tended clima&es ta#e place$ Chants of blac# sermons use a modal scale and 9Transition9 is rooted in a < minor tonalit!$ Coltrane emphasises fundamental notes from this tonalit!6 creating strong structural frame"or#s "hich are interspersed "ith dense chromatic runs and glossalalic e&pression$
The theme consists of a triple inocation and response
common to liturg!6 based on the form of a 4@measure6 modal6 Blues (AAAB) "ithout harmonic progression6 commonl! called the 9Baptist Blues9$ 9Transition9 is a long piece (18,) for a studio recording$ At this stage in his career6 Coltrane "as "elcomed b! his record compan!6 +mpulseJ6 to ta#e his band into the recording studio as often as he "ished$ Artisticall!6 he "as in a position to pla! "hateer he "anted to pla!$ %ithout being familiar "ith Coltrane2s deelopment up to this time6 it can be hard to appreciate his comple& concepts$ 'nce obsered6 the orienting sermon analog! proides a #e! to realising the maturit! and originalit! of Coltrane2s artistr!6 both in his reappropriation of this creatie form and in the sheer beaut! of his phrasing$
Chapter .
Conclusion
+n reie"6 there are seeral general points to be made8
3%
*irstl!6 "hat can be heard to emerge most distinctl! from the deelopment of Coltrane2s modal st!le bet"een 4D and 41 is a comprehensie use of traditional Afro@oral creatie conentionsE as thoroughl! elucidated b! 3utschgl$ These are not merel! surface similarities$ Closer and closer scrutin! reeals more and more that these conentions "ere appropriated and deeloped upon in a full! conscious6 consistent6 and disciplined mannerE both on the macro and micro structural leels$ 7&amination of the d!namic elements of the "or#s also reeals a stri#ingl! consistent adherence to the Afro@oral conentions$ The e&pressie force of the "or#s and the s!nerg! created b! the collaboration of the group hae perhaps become more significant than the formal structure as ehicles for creatie cohesion$ 7pisodic sections relate to each other through a controlled and conscious use of the d!namic ecstaticisation process$ $
Secondl!6 it is remar#able that6 through his modal approach6 Coltrane "as
able to incorporate a ne" and sacred element into ?a;;$ +n 41 Coltrane2s output "as dominated b! spiritual themes$ Half of the albums recorded in this period had spiritual titles$ As this spiritual aspect became more eident6 Coltrane2s st!le became more radical and "as moing futher from conentional ?a;;$ He had deeloped a "hole ne" concept for pla!ing music$ B! the end of 41 ones and T!ner left the band to continue pla!ing metricall! oriented music$ Toda! the! are still alie6 pla!ing ?a;;$ Coltrane "ent on to e&plore freer and freer forms until his death in 4:$ Thirdl!6 "as it because he had researched so much of the "orlds musicE had deled into the base roots of the popular music of man! different cultures6 and assimilated their essential elements so completel! into his conceptual repertoire6 that his music has such po"er and italit!Q His improisations reeal a ne" t!pe of episodic manner for creating structure in ?a;;$
His genius is reealed in the
innoation and sheer ariet! of his melodic lines and his master! of the paraphrastic
3
art$ Coltrane himself stressed the importance of the common modal base beneath the ethnic characteristics of music$ +t "as the uniersal aspect of music that interested him and "hat he "as aiming for$ Coltrane has said of his music8 9+ "ould li#e to arrie at the point "here + am able to grasp the essence of a certain place and time6 compose the "or# and pla! it on the spot naturall!$9+% He ma! not hae achieed his ambition6 but ultimatel! he transcended all st!les to inent a ne" music$
Apendi/ A
The chronolog! of recordings made of ohn Coltrane during the period from
!irst editations
*eb
The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
*eb :@6 Ma! : 241
+%Porter p,0$
3$
P41
+mpulseJ :: +mpulseJ G/3 , +mpulseJ 1
Transitions
une
P41
+mpulseJ 4
Ascension
une , P41
+mpulseJ 1
#e$ Thin" At #e$ Port
ul! , P41
+mpulseJ 0
Live -n Paris
ul!
P41
Charle! -:
Anti.es
ul! ,4 P41
Charle! 04
Anti.es / A Love Supreme
ul!,: P41
Charle! 0
Com.lain La Tour
Aug P41
Charle! 4D
Sun Ship
Aug ,4 P41
+mpulseJ ,
-nfinity
Sept ,,
+mpulseJ ,,1
Live -n Seattle
Sep -D
+mpulseJ ,D,@,
(m
'ct
+mpulseJ 0D
Kulu Se ama
'ct 0
+mpulseJ D4
editations
=o ,-
+mpulseJ D
0i"lio1raphy
3orter6 .e"is$ John Coltrane, %is Life and usic$ Ann Arbor8 Uniersit! of Michigan 3ress6 c$ *u?io#a6 5asuhiro6 .e"is 3orter6 and 5oh@ichi Hamada$
John Coltrane& A
'isco"raphy and usical Bio"raphy$ Metuchen8 Scarecro" 3ress6 1$ Thomas6 $6C$ Chasin+ the Trane$ Garden Cit!8
+
Kofs#!6 *ran#$ Blac) #ationalism and the *evolution in usic
=e" 5or#8
3athfinder 3ress6 :D$ Gerard6 Charles6 <$ Ja00 in Blac) and 1hite& race, culture, and identity in the 2a00 community %estport8 Green"ood 3ress6 %einstein6 =orman C$ A #i"ht in Tunisia& ima"in"s of Africa in 2a00 =e" 5or#8 .imelight6 -$ /osenthal6
Thin)in" in Ja008 the -nfinite Art of -mprovisation$
Chicago8
Uniersit! of Chicago 3ress6 0$ 3riestl!6 Brian$ John Coltrane$ .ondon8 Apollo6 :$ Gerhard 3utschgl6 John Coltrane 9nd 'ie Afroamericanische (raltradition6 a;; *orschung ,1 (-)6 Gra;6 Austria$ T/A=SC+3T+'=S Andre" %hite2s transcriptions of Coltrane solos$
Andre"2s Music6 0-D South
Coltrane6 ohn$ Blue Train$ Blue =ote6 1:$
+1
