Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

Poko:

Thanks, enjoyed it.

I spent a day (late 70's) listening to everything Coltrane @ a friends house and during one song we both said "what the F was that" @ the same time.

DeKay

Maybe he is just not your cup of tea Eric. Just because he is renowned and influential does not mean everybody loves his music.


I agree that most Coltrane is not an easy listen. Lot’s of other jazz for that.

The thing I always find interesting about John Coltrane at his best is he does not play the notes you would expect him to play. He is always doodling/improvising with the material. He goes off on riffs with his sax much the same way say an Eddie Van Halen would later go off with his guitar, often, but not always, with great success.

Let me put it this way, I love jazz, well maybe 1% of it, anyway. The other 99% you couldn’t pay me to listen to. John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pat Metheny and just about everyone else playing jazz are in both categories. 

The stuff I like includes hundreds if not thousands of albums, though. Enough to fill up all the jazz listening time I have. It’s good to challenge yourself sometimes and to just listen to something you enjoy with no effort other times.

erik_squires

The Coltrane catalog is wide and vast in depth.  The best place to start is Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"(1959).  This album is an excellent gateway into the world of John Coltrane. After this session, which is A-List all of the way, JC released his debut- Giant Steps(1960).
Digest in small doses and have fun!

Happy Listening!