Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

"Progressives use a lot of atonality, which can sound like they're playing the wrong notes, and they also don't strictly observe things like rhythm and meter."

Hmmmm, that explains it.

I think they are aware of the rhythm and meter but they are allowing themselves to not adhere to traditional rules regarding rhythm and meter.
I can't tell you how many times I've been listening to a jazz group that I was sure was totally lost regarding the form, only to have them suddenly come back together and prove me wrong.

"...I've been listening to a jazz group that I was sure was totally lost regarding the form, only to have them suddenly come back together and prove me wrong."

Are you right about being wrong, or they just could not keep it up all the time and found their form from time to time?

One has to work his way up to Coltrane. Start with maybe Charlie Parker, and once Coltrane had been assimilated, give Ornette Coleman a listen. Wild, baby!

It took me quite a while to “get it” as well. I first stayed with things like Kind of Blue which he accompanied on. Then I went with A Love Supreme, but, it didn’t really speak to me. Then I bought Blue Train. I was also listening to a lot of Wayne Shorter at the time. Slowly it started to click. The quick runs no longer sounded random. Then I found Lush Life. This is a delicious mellow album that is very easy to greet you. I went back to Giant Steps because I started craving more avant garde sounds like Eric Dolphy and Ornette Coleman. I came across a fantastic piece on YouTube that explains the Coltrane Changes musically and mathematically. I highly recommend it. For some reason I can’t post a link here, but, it’s titled The Most Feared Song In Jazz, Explained on YouTube