Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

Don't worry about John Coltrane. Listen to music you enjoy; if that takes you to J.C., fine; of not, that's fine too. I don't like heavy metal but I don't worry or feel sorry for not liking it and I make no attempt to try and understand it. It is not for me. Period. There is no law starting that you must like John Coltrane.

Miles criticized Coltrane for playing too long and too much. But I think that was in the early days. I bet Bill Evans was thinking, dude chill and make it musical! 

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