Customer Reviews

Love Supreme

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not a good album. It is not a great album. It is not a fantastic, magnificent, or wonderful album. I don't think those words are enough for it. I listen to this album quite often, but I don't have to. It's playing in my head all the time. I don't even know if "album" is the proper terminology here - despite my staunch agnostic beliefs, I consider it more of a spiritual experience. A Love Supreme is Coltrane's masterwork, a stunning three-part suite devoted to God. Over the course of his illustrious, all-too-brief career, Coltrane made many superlative albums, be it the "sheets of sound" blues on Giant Steps, the traditionalist triumph My Favorite Things, the introspective Coltrane's Sound, or the mind-blowing free jazz experiments found on The Major Works of John Coltrane. But this album outstrips all of them. Simply put, it's an uncomparable work of art.

This marks the end of an era for Coltrane. From the time he captured the imaginations of jazz fans worldwide via his stunning work with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, as well as the many classic albums of his early career (see Blue Train, Lush Life and Soultrane), he was arguably the most respected saxophone of his generation. This would be his last album to receive universal acclaim, the last to be widely recognized as a classic even today. Shortly after this album came out, Coltrane would take his music into a new, controversial direction: free jazz. Albums like Meditations and the powerful pieces collected on The Major Works of John Coltrane were less than conventional, making art and beauty out of chaos to convey the unrest of the late '60s. However, not everybody understood these albums for what they were, and they remain begging for reexamination.

However, most agree that A Love Supreme as the peak. Whether he would go off the deep end immediately afterwords or continue making fantastic music is a matter of personal preference and is irrelevant to this review.

The album begins with a cascade of notes coming from Coltrane's sax, followed by a simple four-note bass theme that is repeated throughout the album. Coltrane solos over this theme, and his playing reflects the full specturm of human emotions, from joy to rage and everywhere in between. He often dances around the theme himself, adding embellishments wherever he deems appropriate. When the solo ends, he switches to chanting the title. This is followed by a brief bass solo.

This solo leads into the second part, "Resolution," the most fiery track on the album. A vaguely Eastern melody is established, then destroyed as Coltrane shoots fireworks out of his saxophone, dredging his demons through music. But perhaps the best part of the entire record is McCoy Tyner's piano solo, where he upstages Coltrane - a hard task, considering the quality of Trane's solo. But hey, it's McCoy Tyner, you know?

After "Resolution" comes a lengthy but captivating drum solo, which ushers in "Pursuance." Once again, Coltrane is incorporating elements of world music into his melodies. This time the sound is European. The song closes with a long, but once again fascinating and lyrical, bass solo with shades of Charles Mingus in it. On vinyl pressings of this album, "Pursuance" flows directly into "Psalm" as if the two were one song. "Psalm" ends the album on an appropriately dramatic note - as it comes to a close, drummer Elvin Jones incorporates tympani and cymbal rolls. It is also the album's most experimental piece. Coltrane's melody here is the meter of a poem he wrote, dedicated to God, and included in the album's liner notes. Since the poem is set to an atypical meter, one could almost see this as a direct predecessor to free jazz. It creates the illusion of Coltrane reading the poem passionately through his saxophone, and it is a beautiful way to end a beautiful album.

I've written about seven hundred words about this album already, and I could probably write seven hundred more before I even scratched the surface of this true work of art. Words really aren't enough. The music speaks for itself. It's one of those rare things that can honestly inspire a sense of reverence in me. Nothing is sacred to me. Nothing, except for A Love Supreme.

This is a classical album... so there's not so much to say about it. I want to say something instead on the format SACD.

I've got the CD version, the Vinyl version, but with my player, apart of the "silkness" of the vinyl, the SACD is simply fantastic! This new format is quite perfect... and i don't understand why the software house don't move to replace the old CD that have so many limits, comparing for example to the obsolete but still excellent VINYL.

Please.....

... I wonder how much the awesome result is due to the Rudy Van gelder re-mastering process rather than to the DSD-SACD new teach. I wonder sometimes if the music major are trying to sell us the n-th remastering and try to make us re-buy our music collection again and again. It would also be nice to compare the same re-mastering hi-rez DVD-A and DSD-SACD.

BTW I am astonished how much better it is compared to my vynil (I did not buy the red-book CD waiting for a hi-rez re-issue :-) )

5 stars to the music (I'd vote 6 starts if possible ...) and 5 stars to the sound

I have never listened to Coltrane before i purchased this album. Since i purchased the Oppo BDP-83 blu ray player that also plays DVD-A & SACD formats my intrest in jazz has been refuled. while doing a search for good jazz at amazon, this title came up on SACD with great reviews; i decided to take a chance. WoW, i wished i had these odds in Vegas, I'd be a rich man! This disc is incredible. the stereo seperation is absolutely on point; it's the first thing you notice. then there is the quality that DSD brings to SACD. It was as if John and his peoples were standing in front of me playing it is so clear. yes, clarity is the other word i would use to describe this disc. it is very deep and moving. with the right glass of wine and the lights dimmed you are in for an evening of total relaxation. i recommend everyone with an SACD player run, not walk and pick this up. fellas, your woman will thank you for giving her the Coltrane! wine and light dimmer not included!

This is definitely an album for jazz fans. Dont try to introduce a newbie with this one. But for us die hard jazz lovers, this is where its at. Not as poppy and easily digestable as Blue Train, but they go deeper into the music here. Coltrane is killin' it, throughout. The SACD sound quality is also very good, and well balanced! Nice seperation and detail from the master tapes. Not overly bright, as the recent "Blue Train" remaster seems to be. Two thumbs up!

g mis " i like it " mais je n ai tjrs pa de lecteur SACD donc je peux juste le regarder pour l instant...Pioneer etait le seul à proposer une platine SACD à moins de 900 euro (largement moins de 900euro puisqu elle ne coutait ke 200euro neuve!!!!!...c était la Pioneer DV-610AV-K..) regardez sur le net vs verrez !..mais Pioneer ne la fabrique plus aparament, dégouté :(