Coltrane good addition for jazz collection

Reviewed by MARK SCHONEVELD
Collegian Arts Writer

John Coltrane could be the most influential jazz musician of all time. If he is not the most influential, he is definitely the most famous.

With a relatively short but incredibly dynamic career, Coltrane touched many souls through his music. His works are undoubtedly a significant addition for anyone looking to start a jazz record collection.

To start collecting Coltrane's music, almost all of which is available on compact disc, might seem like a daunting task. He recorded more than 100 albums, not including his many appearances on other artists' recordings.

'Trane, as he's known, was always pushing his music to the limits, going against what people said jazz should be. He took everyone with him on his harmonic roller coaster, making his new music styles the standard to which everyone conformed.

Matt Bugaj, vice president of the Penn State Jazz Club and employee of Arboria Records, 119 E. Beaver Ave., said Coltrane opened many new areas for musicians to explore.

"Everyone was aware of what Coltrane was doing," Bugaj said.

Coltrane's career and musical development is often divided into five stages. Born in rural North Carolina in 1927, he pursued his musical interests on his own at an early age. The first period of his career was the early years of 1947 to 1954 when he began playing professionally and refining his sax playing.

The second period is generally called the "searching stylist" years, from 1955 to 1956. Most of his work from this period can be found on other artists' records, including the great Miles Davis, with whom he began working in 1955.

This same year is also the year most people consider to be the real beginning of Coltrane's path to domination of the jazz world. During 1955, 'Trane worked with many other musicians such as Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, becoming one of the most sought-after saxophonists in jazz.

In 1957, Davis fired Coltrane due to his heroin habit, which 'Trane kicked soon after. He then began to work on his own music, delivering his unique sound on a number of solo projects such as Blue Train, Giant Steps and My Favorite Things.

This marked a period in Coltrane's career aptly named "sheets of sound" by music critic Ira Gitler. Coltrane played a style that used so many notes so quickly that the notes would blend together, becoming virtually indistinguishable from each other.

This method was not easily understood by critics at first, but the style started an evolution in theory not only for jazz musicians, but also for composers and rock musicians.

Giant Steps and Blue Train are two of Coltrane's most famous albums. They were innovative and fresh, and the music world took note of his works. Coltrane also played sax on the famous Davis album Kind of Blue in 1959, an album considered by many to be one of the best jazz albums ever.

"I really liked Coltrane's middle period," said Robin Hyden, an employee at Blue Train Compact Disc, 432 E. College Ave. "Giant Steps and Blue Train are two of my favorite albums."

It was the "classical quartet" years (1960 to 1964) that thrust Coltrane into the limelight of the music world. He began to record with a number of famous musicians such as Duke Ellington and Johnny Hartman, giving incredible live performances of his music around the world, especially in Japan and Europe.

"I really like (the album) John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman because it's unusual for Coltrane to have played with a vocalist like Hartman," said Michael Black (graduate-higher education), jazz staff head for WKPS-FM (90.7).

Some of Coltrane's live solos during this period could carry on for 45 minutes, improvising on his already complex music. His creativity culminated in A Love Supreme, an incredibly popular and acclaimed album influenced by Coltrane's interest in Eastern religion.

"A Love Supreme is one album that has influenced rock musicians a lot," Hyden said. "U2 and Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) have both quoted it as one of their biggest influences."

Coltrane's career ended with his "avant-garde" period from 1965 to 1967. Many people find his music during this time hard to understand because it is largely atonal and adventurous.

"After 1965, he became really exploratory and more unpredictable," Black said.

Recently, music fans with interests from all areas of music are rediscovering Coltrane, Hyten said.

"About a decade ago, we only sold Coltrane stuff to jazz people, but now everyone is in here buying it," Hyten said.

She noted also that there have been many Coltrane compilations put out by his labels in both remastered and box set form. Hyten said she likes the new Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings, a four-CD box set released last year.

Coltrane's saxophone has had an incredible impact on the world of music, and many people consider him to be one of the geniuses of our time. Though he died from liver cancer in July 1967, his music will live on forever, and his talent will surely be remembered for years to come.

"Some people think that Coltrane could make any song good, but that's hard," Black said. "Maybe he couldn't make every song good, but he sure could come close."