John Coltrane and his "Love Supreme"

To fully understand a musical work, it's necessary to know all the motivations and feelings of the composer. This is the case of the John Coltrane's album A Love Supreme, recorded in 1965, which besides being one of the most important and influential records in the jazz history, it has a very strong religious component. In words of Coltrane:

During the year 1957, I experienced , by the grace of God, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller and more productive life. At that time, in gratitude, I humbly asked to be given the means and privilege to make others happy through music. I feel this has been granted through His grace.

Also he says:

This album is a humble offering to Him. An attempt to say "THANK YOU GOD" through our work, even as we do in our hearts and with our tongues. May He help and strengthen all men in every good endeavor.

It's not new that in days of bebop and hard bop, almost the majority of jazz musicians suffered drugs addictions; the cases of Charlie Parker or Miles Davis are very known. John Coltrane was not exception, and he suffered the ravages of heroin and alcohol, which affected his personal and artistic life. However, in 1957, thank spiritual conversion, he could left his old habits and recorded this album as a thanksgiving to God. It's also important mention that A Love Supreme marked the beginning of a new stage in the Coltrane's life, in which his only purpose will be a spiritual search through his music, a search of new harmonies and scales with deep religious meanings. In fact, after this album, Coltrane recorded another sacred albums, but already fully immersed in the world of free jazz.




A Love Supreme is a jazz suite, divided in four parts: Acknowledgement, Resolution, Pursuance and Psalm. The last part, Coltrane called "musical narration", because he plays the words of a poem that he dedicated to God, and it was including in the disc booklet. This poem ends with the following lines:

God breathes through us so completely ...
so gently we hardly feel it ... yet
it is our everything.
Thank you God.

Elation - Elegance - Exaltation
All from God.
Thank you God. Amen.

John Coltrane's tribute website: http://www.johncoltrane.com