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Chapter 8: A Radical Departure: The 1960s and 1970s
Coltrane’s move into experimental music came in Miles Davis’s 1959 Kind of
Blue quintet. On that album Coltrane’s solos began to break free from the
past as he explored wildly imaginative improvisations using only a few scales
and began to explore the exotic saxophone tones that eventually became his
signature. Key elements of Coltrane’s music include the following:
� Free, soaring solos: Coltrane selected a few chords and scales as the
basis for improvisations that became longer than most any player’s
before him.
� Wild sounds: Squeals and squawks that others may consider “noise”
artfully integrated into his solos, extending the emotional range and
intensity.
� Modal: Modal is a meditative approach that Coltrane used as his fascination
with Shankar and Indian music grew. Coltrane wrote songs centered
on single scales or modes instead of complex chord changes. Improvisers
felt freer to play straight from their feelings because they didn’t need to
follow the zigzagging chord changes of jazz.
� Blues connections: Coltrane captured the earthy feel of blues on albums
such as Blue Train.
Coltrane’s music and personal life continued to follow a spiritual path, and he
studied eastern religions and musicians including Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar
(Coltrane named his son Ravi, who’s discussed in Chapter 10). Coltrane saw
his music as a spiritual offering. To this day in San Francisco, the Church of
John Coltrane uses his music as a basis for services.
Coltrane’s 1964 album A Love Supreme marked a new milestone, as the music
took on a meditative aura, and Coltrane improvised with no restrictions as
far as chord changes, melodies, or length of solo. The music built on spare
“sketches” of themes that Coltrane explained to his band just before the
recording session. Coltrane gave his only live performance of A Love Supreme
at the Antibes Jazz Festival in 1965.
Late in his career, Coltrane used pure feeling and less preconceived form
in his music. He often used a soprano sax instead of a tenor sax to capture
increasingly intense feelings. The power of the music shows through his
albums that showcase both uncompromising art and commercial viability —
the saxophonist tapped something primal and universal in human emotions.
Among 20th century jazz musicians, Coltrane ranks as one of the most influential,
alongside Charlie Parker (see Chapter 7) and Miles Davis (covered
later in this chapter and in Chapter 7). Young players who got their start with
Coltrane include drummer Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner. As they continued
in Coltrane’s spirit, you could hear the dark moods and boundless
improvisation they learned from Coltrane.
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