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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
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
Product Description
Digitally remastered edition of the Jazz legend's groundbreaking 1965 album. A Love Supreme is generally considered to be among Coltrane's greatest works, as it melded the hard bop sensibilities of his early career with the free jazz style he adopted later.
Customer Reviews
“ Coltrane's, "A Love Supreme", is more than a jazz album its a spiritual journey or as Coltrane had said, " A Love Supreme is a gift to God". ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 86 people found the following review helpful
By The Groove
Format:Audio CD
John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" is an elegant masterpiece. A flawlessly conceived suite with spiritual overtones, "A Love Supreme" features the saxaphonist at his most reverend and focused. The repackaged edition is an example of what happens when you take a great record and make it even better. Disc one has the entire album painstakingly remastered by Rudy Van Gelder, and the sound is significantly superior the original monaural mix. On the new version, we witness a huge improvement in clarity, and Coltrane projects even more fully than we've heard before. But disc two, which clocks in at 77 minutes, is the Real Deal for Coltrane completists. Those who have bootlegged copies of the France live recording can now toss them out the window, for that performance, along with a few alternative takes of other tracks, surfaces here. The live performance, recorded in July 1965, is a must-listen for any lover of jazz. In fact, in many respects, I think it's just as good as the original version. For example, I was really blown away by the live rendition of "Pursuance," which kicks off with a fierce two-and-a-half minute drum solo by Elvin Jones that must be heard to be believed. Coltrane then goes full throttle with his sax and amazingly holds his own during this 21-minute excursion which is sure to leave you amazed. "A Love Supreme" is one of those albums that you can't say "no" to. If you have to own any copy of this classic, this version is definitely the way to go. Not only is the sound quality better, but the outstanding live performance and alternative takes on disc 2 provide a more intimate look at this recording. Highly, highly recommended.
100 of 103 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Arguably the best album John Coltrane ever recorded and consistently mentioned as the greatest album in jazz, "A Love Supreme" lives up to everything that it is discussed as.
Coltrane was riding an artistic high-- enormously successful thanks to 1960's "My Favorite Things", he had quite a bit more latitude than many musicians, a producer who would support his every experiment in Bob Thiele, and a band willing to go wherever he needed (pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones) who he'd developed a rapport with over three years of constantly working together. He'd just recorded the stunning "Crescent" several months earlier and entered the studio in December to record this suite.
The piece, as indicated by the liner notes Coltrane penned, is spiritually informed, a prayer offered to God. The music itself is based on relatively traditional structures, but Coltrane manages to juggle a number of influences and sounds-- shades of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler all run through it. The suite is broken in four movements-- "Acknowledgement" is patient and building, revolving around a four-note bass motif-- Trane is exploratory and yearning. After a brief bass solo, this moves into the frantic "Resolution", where Coltrane rails against his theme, turns things over to a oddly meditative yet equally frantic Tyner, and then solos himself in Monkish fashion-- extrapolating off his theme and exploring the sort of spiritual ecstacy that he heard in Ayler. A brief drum solo signals the transition to "Pursuance"-- Jones is full of energy and explosiveness and this sustains throughout the piece, Coltrane's extended solo is nothing short of stunning, full of fire and energy before suddenly taming down and surrendering to Jones briefly then an astonishing solo by Garrison. Finally, the long exhale after the tension-- "Psalm", finds Coltrane meditative, almost wistful, and informed with a sense of optimistic melancholy.
When it's all done, it's an experience. Many listeners find this the first truly unlistenable Coltrane album-- too much for its own good, but it certainly leaves its mark. My assessment is that the album is nothing short of stunning.
Coltrane was riding an artistic high-- enormously successful thanks to 1960's "My Favorite Things", he had quite a bit more latitude than many musicians, a producer who would support his every experiment in Bob Thiele, and a band willing to go wherever he needed (pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones) who he'd developed a rapport with over three years of constantly working together. He'd just recorded the stunning "Crescent" several months earlier and entered the studio in December to record this suite.
The piece, as indicated by the liner notes Coltrane penned, is spiritually informed, a prayer offered to God. The music itself is based on relatively traditional structures, but Coltrane manages to juggle a number of influences and sounds-- shades of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler all run through it. The suite is broken in four movements-- "Acknowledgement" is patient and building, revolving around a four-note bass motif-- Trane is exploratory and yearning. After a brief bass solo, this moves into the frantic "Resolution", where Coltrane rails against his theme, turns things over to a oddly meditative yet equally frantic Tyner, and then solos himself in Monkish fashion-- extrapolating off his theme and exploring the sort of spiritual ecstacy that he heard in Ayler. A brief drum solo signals the transition to "Pursuance"-- Jones is full of energy and explosiveness and this sustains throughout the piece, Coltrane's extended solo is nothing short of stunning, full of fire and energy before suddenly taming down and surrendering to Jones briefly then an astonishing solo by Garrison. Finally, the long exhale after the tension-- "Psalm", finds Coltrane meditative, almost wistful, and informed with a sense of optimistic melancholy.
When it's all done, it's an experience. Many listeners find this the first truly unlistenable Coltrane album-- too much for its own good, but it certainly leaves its mark. My assessment is that the album is nothing short of stunning.
130 of 139 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In a time when jazz was becoming less popular, this four-part masterpiece recorded in 1964, is John Coltrane's attempt to give thanks to God. In doing so, and regardless of your religious beliefs, he delivers a performance in the company of McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums) that makes it clear what he meant when he said in 1966 he planned "to become a saint" in response to the question about his plans for the next decade. Sadly, he died of cancer not too long after that statement, but he left a legacy of work that -like this album- are testimony of what an inspired soul can let flow and give to others. Today, almost forty years after its original release, Coltrane's memory is alive and kicking and his timeless work continues to inspire musicians of all genres across the world. In my journey of discovery of this beautiful jazz music, this album has turned out to be a true musical revelation and I want to share it with you too.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Profound
"A Love Supreme" is, as people have said for decades, a jazz symphony. As someone who sometimes finds Coltrane difficult to penetrate, this album opened up, wrapped me... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Paul in Guangzhou
5.0 out of 5 stars
C-Train
Com'on - Gold, Silver, Guns, Bullets, Liquor and Records (vinyl)!
If you can afford it buy this record, classic real American history!
If you can afford it buy this record, classic real American history!
Published 14 days ago by Timothy Wyrick
5.0 out of 5 stars
New York state of Mind
I first heard this on Spike Lee's "Mo Betta Blues" and had to own it. It's too heavy on the ear for my husband( he says it sounds busy) but I always think of Spike when I... Read more
Published 28 days ago by M. hullett
5.0 out of 5 stars
All that I expected
I pondered this purchase for years. Recently I undertook a series of upgrades to my audio system. I've been a serious jazz fan since the '60s. I bought it in vinyl. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Teddy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Recording Far Beyond Supreme
In art we seem always to seek out the unquantifiable, that which goes beyond expectation and thrills us beyond words. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Merritt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
One can argue whether or not one likes this album, but if you know and understand music and how it is put together...if you are a player yourself... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jess Grimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memorable LP.
Cortrane is well know musician, and is hard to find the best words to describe hi excellence ! its hard to stop listening !
Published 2 months ago by Leszek
5.0 out of 5 stars
vinyl goodness abounds
I'm very impressed with the sound of the vinyl LP. I don't totally buy into the vinyl mystique but there's a warmth here that really pleases my ears. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Vincent Layton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply magic
This album is definitely one of the most terrific ones in the jass history. The sound stucks in your brain and let you fly to an other dimension. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Luca Baroldi
1.0 out of 5 stars
a love supreme
I most have not read the smallprint---who-- tell me who --orders vinyl today--- I sent this to a friend and was floored when he said he got a record instead of a cd --so that is... Read more
Published 3 months ago by henry quartullo
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