Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.
I'm not a big jazz fan so perhaps I shouldn't even comment here. I have listened to Coltraine and I don't "get" him either. I respect him for his creativity but he's just not my cup of tea. I have an issue with horns in general. I find trumpets waaaay to blarey (blary?) for my taste. Whether it's Miles or Satchmo who are both great artists, I just have to pass. I also have a hard time with trombones. Now saxaphone to me is a great instrument! It's much smoother and throatier than trumpet or trombone. I guess probably because it's a wind instrument. So while I respect great musicianship, jazz with horns is not my thing. I would much rather listen to piano or guitar with some sax thrown in for good measure. |
I totally respect this question and the willingness to explore some Coltrane because one loves music. This might be one of the more random responses out there but... Through my teens (in the 1990's) I loved skateboarding and spent a lot of my youth engaging in enjoying it as a creative outlet. At the time most music in skate videos was punk, alternative, thrash etc then there was this one clip on a movie where this professional skateboarder was cruising along to a tune by Red Garland and John Coltrane. At first I didn't like it then after watching a couple more times it made perfect sense, the free flowing music with the free flowing activity. I've listened to Jazz ever since and now have quite a few Jazz records. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gizM-PuVnY0 To me it's more of a feeling. I know nothing about music really other than I know I like listening to a lot of it. With Jazz it's more visuals in my head and, like I say - a feeling I get. Like when I listen to the Coltrane track 'out of this world' (for example) it feels kind of like a meditation on life where I can imagine ordinary people doing what they do somewhere say like New York city with fast cuts to the imagery. Keep in mind that track does get a bit wild at points so might not be everyone's cup of tea. Anyway perhaps that is a little too random. Anyway, I really hope you find some stuff you like and no big deal if you don't really. Music is so subjective. Like many others have probably said 'kind of blue' by Miles Davis is an amazing starting point into Jazz. I actually like the trumpet more than the sax on the whole but for some reason I find Coltrane's music comforting. All the best! |
