A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album. - book review

Black Issues Book Review, May-June, 2003 by Curtis Stephen

by Ashley Kahn Viking, October 2002 $27.95, ISBN 0-670-03136-4

Undoubtedly, 1968 was one of the most turbulent periods of the twentieth century, but 1965 was easily a harbinger of things to come, with the assassination of Malcolm X, the riots that engulfed the Watts section of Los Angeles, and the escalation of war in Vietnam. But out of the chaos came John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." For a world gone mad, the venerable saxophonist produced an album that both praised and cried out to God. It sparked a revolution, changing the tone of jazz and the world forever.

When Coltrane recorded "A Love Supreme," he was a man in transition. He finally quit heroin (cold turkey) and emerged out of the shadow of Miles Davis, who gave Coltrane a lucrative gig as a member of his band. Yet with a more complex sound and soulful versions of popular musical numbers like "My Favorite Things," Coltrane quickly became a respected artist in his own right. But with "A Love Supreme," he became larger than life.

In A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album, Ashley Kahn places the landmark recording under a microscope and, in the process, sheds further light upon the musician and the man. Think of it as a book version of VH1's "Ultimate Albums," the music channel series that explores the stories behind popular albums. Khan, a former music editor at VH1, employed a similar technique for his 2001 book Kind of Blue, which tackled the Miles Davis masterpiece. Despite Kahn's experience, though, he faced many challenges in the two-and-a-half years spent researching the book. Coltrane, for example, died in 1967 at the age of 40. But Kahn unearthed Coltrane's reflections (which sometimes required translating articles printed in foreign publications) and conducted fresh interviews with Coltrane's wife, Alice; son, Ravi; surviving bandmates; and a range of musical descendants from guitarist Carlos Santana to U2 front man Bono.

But the heart of the story takes place on December 9, 1964, when Coltrane and his quartet, bassist Jimmy Garrison, pianist McCoy Tyner, and drummer Elvin Jones, entered New Jersey-based to record "A Love Supreme." Rich in detail, Khan brings to life the magic, rhythm, pulse and energy from that legendary four-hour session. Everything from tales about chord changes on specific songs to the albums introspective liner notes is magnificently brought to life. Kahn's research also led to the discovery of alternative versions of those songs recorded in the session that have been locked away for decades and is now available on the just-released deluxe edition. In A Love Supreme, Kahn has not only crafted a fitting tribute to Coltrane, as both an artist and a man, but also proves that a love so genuine can withstand the test of time.