Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

erik_squires

Have you found a JC  starting point (album)?

Happy Listening!

If one listens to Ernie Watts and really digs what he/she hears then they “get” Coltrane. Coltrane’s spirit is all up in Ernie’s sound, yet Ernie’s style is all his own (an Ernie Watts solo, like a Tom Harrell solo, is a beautiful thing). So one doesn’t necessarily need to listen to Coltrane in order to get him. I pulled Ernie as one example. The more jazz one listens to the more likely one will come across an artist that Coltrane influenced (wait, didn’t Ernie play sax on Rolling Stones tours—oh yes). I get Coltrane that way, too. You might get him more than you realize, depending on what you listen to.

Hi Eric
If it must be with Coltrane Quartet, it must definitely be Ballads, with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. It's appetizing.
Best regards

''Ballads''
and Coltrane with Johnny Hartman.
These are the most accessible i.m.o.

I'm not going to tell you where to start, but figuratively and literally Chasing the Trane will chase your troubles away.