What people search:
 | Title : A Love Supreme
Author : John Coltrane
Release Date : 19950620
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.29
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Editorial Reviews :
A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and the Byrds), while initiating a series of volatile, unruly prayer offerings, including Kulu Su Mama, Ascension, Om, Meditations, Expression, Interstellar Space. From the urgent speech-like timbre of his tenor, to the serpentine textures and earthy groove of Elvin Jones's drumming, Coltrane's suite proceeds with escalating intensity, conveying a hard-fought wisdom and a beckoning serenity in the prayer-like drones of 'Psalm,' where Jones rolls and rumbles like thunder as Garrison and Tyner toll away suggestively--all the while Coltrane searches for that one climactic note worthy of the love he wants to share. --Chip Stern
Buyer Reviews :
1964 - John Coltrane had bounced back from a bad heroin habit several years earlier and become an instant Christian. His music would continue to have a spiritual theme until he died, but this is the album that stands as his most enduring work. I can't profess to say what does and doesn't deserve such a title as Absolute Masterpiece; I'll just mention that I'm agnostic and I still get a vivid rush of emotion from hearing this disc. In a short-but-not-really 35 minutes, Trane and crew produce something universal that stretches beyond any single belief or religion. John was right in the middle of his transition between the easy blues/bop style of his roots and the extended crazy-hyper 128th-note wanderings that would take over his later work. ALS finds him and his quartet turning up the heat, but never really approaching the half-unlistenability of some of those final albums. But I digress.
A Love Supreme features some fiery-hot blowing from all members involved, sometimes approaching the point of head-spinning cacophony but never really getting there. It's got an insane degree of polyrhythmic chemistry (I'm very sure I still don't even understand half of what's going on), but the music still has an unmistakable beat and groove that anyone can follow. Amid the initial swirl of complex group interaction, the central theme of 'Acknowledgement' is a mere four notes (although Coltrane takes it all over the scale in at least a dozen places). 'Resolution' branches out a little more, its main lead rooted more in Indian music than American jazz. The first 3/4 of the album is a dazzling balance of foot-stomping swing and stellar melodic work that can take years to figure out.
Until the very end, that is. 'Pursuance' simmers down near its finish (just past the 10-minute mark) with a very accomplished bass solo, sliding uninterruped into the finale 'Psalm.' Now this is where everything comes together. Drummer Elvin Jones abandons the shuffling hi-hat for a thunderous gong. The bass and piano stick to a simple melody.. some chords here, a simply rooted line anchoring everything else.. while Coltrane's sax rides over everything like a high-flying bird headed straight for the sun. I want to describe the final crescendo, but I'm afraid the mere phrase 'breathtaking harmony' doesn't quite do it justice. I could try to describe all the colors and shades of a Jamaican sunset too, but that still couldn't accurately convey the sense of experiencing it yourself.
Where a lot of jazz (or any music) can work as either a focal point or a pleasant background, A Love Supreme demands your attention if you want to really get into how it all works together. If you're willing to give this album some time and thought, it won't let you go.
(by spiral_mind)
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