- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press; New edition edition (27 Aug 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 030681062X
- ISBN-13: 978-0306810626
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.5 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
101,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22 in Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Music > Jazz
- #36 in Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Music > Blues
- #81 in Books > Biography > Film, Television & Music > Theatre Performers
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Product Description
Product Description
Reissued to commemorate the 75th anniversary of John Coltrane's birth. Here is the book that distinguished music critic Leonard Feather called a "brilliantly perceptive examination of the forces that shaped Coltrane's brief life." Illustrating the influence of African folklore and spirituality on Coltrane's work and sound, Bill Cole creates an innovative portrait of the legendary tenor saxophonist. With illustrative diagrams, a discography, and more than twenty photographs, this is an essential addition to every jazz fan's library.
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First Sentence
John William Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
John William Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed reading this book not only for it's comments on Coltrane but about the detail of his projects with other great musicians. It has a detailed recording list (includes dates, times, people involved, etc.)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Interesting but one-dimensional to Coltrane
21 Oct 1999
Format:Paperback
This is the second book on Coltrane that I have read and, while interesting, it has some failings that make it a better choice as the second or third book that an interested party should read. By deifying Colttrane throughout and treating his every move as perfect one does not get to experience the human side of this great artist whose struggle to become the genius that he was is, in my opinion, far more interesting than the idea that any failings on his part are usually the fault of inferior sidemen and economic circumstances. The emphasis on the work of Fela Sowande is interesting in its own right and I am inclined to find his writings purely for their own merits. The structuring of Coltrane's life around these observations is, unfortunately, a backward construction that fails horribly. Often seeming poorly researched, this book assumes far too much about what may have been influencing Coltrane at various points in his carrer. Interesting, but read a more objective study first.
Also, the omission (or worse, maligning of) white musicians who had an impact on the works of Coltrane and his earlier sideman gigs (notably Bill Evans) is a dis-service to the spirit of the music
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
a weak book about a great musician
12 Mar 2002
Format:Paperback
This reads like an academic's thesis which got published without ever being edited for publication. Conversational on one page, professorially pedantic on the next, straining throughout in its effort to contextualize all of Coltrane's work in the writings of Fela Sowande; this is not an especially fun or insightful read. The book's lack of focus extends to even the placement of photographs, which appear throughout the book with no relationship to the choronology of the text. The best passages are Cole's personal recollections of Coltrane, in particular his recount of Coltrane practicing with a friend in a hotel room. For those sections alone, the book is worthwhile for dedicated Coltrane fans. But newcomers to Coltrane about would do far better to pick up Eric Nisenson's "Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest."
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
What he wishes Coltrane was
16 Jun 2005
Format:Paperback
This should be the last book on Coltrane you read. This author wrote this book obviously trying to find a niche in the Coltrane story that hadn't been covered. His angle is the spritual side of Coltrane which would have been a good topic if he had any research to support that what he proposes Coltrane thought and felt. He doesn't. This book is pure speculation and the majority of citations to other works are to album liner notes and Downbeat articles. Apparently the author conducted no significant interviews but based on almost no evidence, draws the conclusion that Coltrane thought in the ancient ways of the Nigerian "Traditional man" and was the equivilent to an African medicine man although he admits Coltrane had never been to Africa. He claims it was in Coltranes DNA. Hardly a mention of Coltranes Christian upbringing or that his grandfather was a Christian minister or that his mother was a strong Christian. Hardly a mention of drugs and the effect this habit had on Coltrane's life and music. Read this book last, if at all. I like the Lewis Porter book much better.
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