Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

erik_squires

The Coltrane catalog is wide and vast in depth.  The best place to start is Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"(1959).  This album is an excellent gateway into the world of John Coltrane. After this session, which is A-List all of the way, JC released his debut- Giant Steps(1960).
Digest in small doses and have fun!

Happy Listening!

2nd Note;

as above, "A Love Supreme" is not for the beginner- far too advanced in depth and nature. One has to work his way up to this release from JC debut album, IMO.

Happy Listening!

I guess it’s how you absorb things Jafant. I liked A Love Supreme right off the bat with zero jazz listening experience. The rest of his prior catalog was easily and greatly appreciated after that. Same thing with Stravinsky’s Rites of Spring, listened to as a kid. Don’t know why they both immediately made sense. Maybe both had a strong unmistakable statement to make, which was hard to miss and not appreciate. Who knows?

On the other hand it’s taken near fifty years to get a handle on Miles Davis Bitches Brew, another landmark recording which sounds great to me now, but was a complete mystery when I first heard him play live at the Fillmore East in 1970. I took a girlfriend to see Laura Nyro that night who we both liked, and Miles was on a double bill with her. All I could think when hearing him for the first time was "What is this". I was lost like a stranger in a strange land, and had no idea what he and his band were playing. Similar experience with Coltrane’s post Love Supreme free form work, although listening to that is still a work in progress. So either Erik will catch on in short order or maybe fifty years from by now easing into it. Well worth the trouble either way. Take it easy my friend,

Mike

I’m not understanding this reasoning at all...what are you guys talking about..."for the beginner" or.."too advanced in depth and nature, "talking a different language"
....what the heck does that all mean....when we are talking about music!

Music, and John Coltrane could play some great music, is what makes the listener enjoy the experience of listening. Personally, ALL music allows me to enjoy the experience...and that is what i think the great players, like John Coltrane could accomplish. So, IMO, there is NOTHING to understand when you listen to John Coltrane, or any other good-great musician, you will enjoy the experience. If you don’t enjoy it, that doesn’t mean you don’t understand it...it just means you don’t like it...and there’s nothing wrong in that!

I hope this makes sense coming from an ex-pro musician.:0)

skyscraper

Right On! MD quickly divided his fans with Bitches Brew. We were expecting more Bop/Hard Bop instead of electric/fusion elements.

Coltrane and Davis were very much ahead of their time to report the least. In their respective lifetimes, both were students of past events, that shaped Modal music.  

Happy Listening!