Johncoltrane

By Bill Cole

Book Overview

Every critic, fan, and student of jazz who has listened to A Love Supreme or My Favorite Things knows that John Coltrane died entirely too young. But even within his tragically brief life, which ended in 1967 at the age of 40, he became one of the most innovative and experimental forces in African-American music. In this provocative study, musician and historian Bill Cole sharpens our focus on the legendary tenor saxophonist through the twin lenses of Africanism and spiritualism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306805308
• ISBN13: 9780306805301
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Musical biography of John Coltrane

Published by Schirmer/ MacMillan Books, NYC, 1978. 8vo. Interesting musical AND religious biography...With extensive notes and complete session recordings listing...264 pages,

Newby Jazz Musician

This book is highly informative to anyone who would like to dive into Coltrane. Knowing little to nothing about the man, his work, or Jazz in general I found this book to be very satisfying. There is theory, but not to much too bore. It moves well from talking about Coltrane's motivations as a musician to his practice habits to other musicians around him. I'm not a critic (don't always trust critics), but I made an effort to write because I really think this one of the better music books I've ever read.

A Biography for musicians

This book is great for people who love jazz and have a knowledge of music notation. It reads like a college thesis, but goes into depth about actual musical passages and techniques. A must read for anyone who wants to know what made Coltrane tick in a musical sense and not just how many times he quit heroin or found jesus.

Good source for stuff about Coltrane

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.)