Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

Coltrane leaves almost all people behind at some point and today's jazz musicians have left Coltrane behind.  Start with his most accessible stuff, listen to the recommendations made above and enjoy what connects with you and stop listening when you no longer get it.  That's what Tidal and Qobuz are for.

What Coltrane recordings have been listening to Erik? A lot of his material after A Love Supreme is difficult to digest and takes some time, analogous to your thoughts on understanding and appreciating Picasso after his Blue and Rose Period paintings. So those recordings would be the wrong place to start.

The only worthwhile thing I got out of many years of college was listening to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme as part of a Jazz Music class I was taking as a lark. I’d never listened to anything but Rock n’ Roll before and loved everything from Bill Haley to what was then going on like the Stone’s Let It Bleed. I had no jazz listening experience at all, and was amazed by that recording. It was kind of a sink or swim experience, getting thrown in the water for the first time. I’ve forty or so of his albums now, not including his contributions to many of the large number of Miles Davis recordings in my collection.

I’m not sure if that would work for you, but reading your posts here makes me think you’d catch on quickly and fall in love with Coltrane too. Are there other jazz artists you like, or is jazz relatively new to you as a listening experience? What do you typically listen to?

Any of his later Prestige or subsequent Atlantic recordings are easier listening maybe. Look at the AllMusic Coltrane discography to get the sequence. The older the recording, the more traditional his playing is, generally speaking dating back to a Coleman Hawkin’s influence stylistically. I’m most enamored of his post Atlantic Impulse recordings up to A Love Supreme, as many others are, and am just now beginning to appreciate his free-form work which is reactive in an historical context just as you described Picasso’s abstract work. It’s well worth the effort to develop an appreciation Erik, as you’ll discover, so give him a good shot, and you won’t be disappointed..

You might try his Giant Steps album. That was a kind of watershed album for his sheets of sound approach which he further developed as a solo artist, and is a precursor to much of his later Atlantic and early Impulse recordings. The original My Favorite Things album to me is always enjoyable and a staple of his repertoire post Giant Steps. Familiarity with the tune from the Sound of Music might give you a bridge even though you found it unremarkable thus far. Listen to the original version as some of the many subsequent recordings of this song veer into the free-form realm.

Once you catch on, the heart felt loveliness of some of his music will be a gift to you, and you’ll wonder how you ever didn’t experience it that way before. The rest of his stuff is mostly good jazz that enabled him to play alongside the best. Good luck from a person who’s at age 67 is just starting to catch on to mainstream Classical music. But I learned to love jazz from Armstrong thru Weather Report after that initial Coltrane exposure.

Mike

I would strongly advise against "starting" with A Love Supreme. And I personally feel its wrong to suggest starting there. This is one of his most personal, relevant and challenging pieces of music. Was at a friends the other night helping w the set up of a new TT. Brought some music w me so I could "check out" the new player. One of the records was "The Max Roach Trio featuring the legendary Hasaan" (a record I happen to love) Not something, we both agreed, that would be a good place to start as far as entering the world of jazz piano. He is also someone who doesn't feel Love Supreme is a good place to start. Nor would someone like Anthony Braxton, or the World Saxophone Quartet be a good place to start. Parents came by as I was playing Hasaan one day. My dads comment was "Someone practicing the piano?" Not for him, and thats cool. Often times, for me, I will come across a musician who's work I love - for whatever reason. Then, I will see something new they have done. Because I liked the work before, I figure I should like the new work. Not immediately. I approach things with an open mind and give them time. Now, had I "found" some of these musicians when they had made their most recent recordings today, would I have that same response I had 20 or 30 years ago? Most likely not. It would have been too big a leap for me. Mr. Bungle, is very much one of those for me. Heard Mike Patton in Faith no More and saw them live during the tour for "The Real Thing" before I heard Mr. Bungle.

All this to say, listen to his early work, closely, on Kind of Blue, Round About Midnight etc. Quite melodic. Then try "Coltrane Plays the Blues". Play it once a night for 5 nights. Then the same for "Ballads".

If, after 10 days, you find it's not connecting with you, then its possibly not for you. I suspect, however, that after having gone through the exercise, you will respect the mans work. It's kind of like Gordon Lightfoot for me. Have some of his work, respect his songwriting/playing/singing immensely and listen to it - albeit not very often, but, it's not my cup of tea.

There is a documentary on Netflix - "Chasing Trane" - enjoyed it a lot.

Erik you mentioned A Love Supreme is a difficult listen. That’s a good thing, because there’s so much there a might take a minute to digest it as a whole, especially if it’s out of context for you relative to whatever your listening experience is.

Bright as you are, which is easy to tell from your posts, that music is going to click into place for you. First time I heard the Stones "Let It Bleed" album my all time favorite rock album, I didn’t even like it, until one day I simply "heard" it. God knows why I didn’t get it the first time around. Now I usually expect any new or challenging music to not sound good the first few times around. I’ll know I’ll be be disappointed later on when the initial pleasure wears off from a record that was enjoyable straight off because it fit a familiar mold.

It’s like the whole language approach to teaching reading or immersion approach to learning a new language, versus the teaching the parts of language and grammar until you grasp the whole. Keep immersing yourself in his best works and you’ll wake up one morning having digested Coltrane while you were sleeping and you’ll enjoy him ever after. You’ll not be able to explain why you can hear him once you do, but you will be able to, guaranteed. It just hasn’t fallen in place for you yet.

Mike

Please listen to "Theme For Ernie", "Body And Soul" and "My Favorite Things" that will make him easy to step into or forgetaboutit. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane "In a sentimental mood" also a singular gem.

John Coltrane for many is quintessential.