Customer Reviews

A Love Supreme

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

One of the problems about music writing is that some albums get built up so much , that they become cheapened and burdened by all the praise heaped on them - and the praise is REALLY heaped on this album .

After all , a great record is an accident . It is so hard to have all the factors come together at the same time - the songs , the musicians , a good engineer and a producer who will let the recording experience unfold without trying to impose a personal 'sound' on the finished product .

Despite all these things being in place , things can still go wrong .

On this album , it all went right .

The main reason for that is the great empathy , understanding and respect between the musicians .

To my mind , this album is about a state of mind and its unfolding . If that sounds obscure , it's not meant to be .
I can't think of any other way to put it .

Listen to this once in your life , even if you don't like jazz .
You may find something missing from other music after you listen to this . Stick with it , as the mood changes throughout .

It is a classic , but it's also a record made by human beings . Do keep that in mind .

How did a human being do this?! So otherworldy and yet so tightly constructed and economical. So furious and atonal and yet so gorgeous. Coltrane must be an alien or an angel or a chemical experiment gone out of control. You heard it here first. Oh yeah, his drummer is pretty out of this world too.

When he made this album, John Coltrane considered it to be his gift to God. It's certainly worthy of that status, having some really amazing instrumentals, including, of course, John Coltrane's masterful saxaphone playing. I'm a drummer, and I can testify that this album is also a prime example of really skillful jazz percussion. If you're looking to start a really fine jazz collection, this would be an important album to include.

If you liked this, I recommend Coltrane's "Giant Steps." It's a little bit less serious, slightly more bouncy, but of similar excellence.

By 1964, Coltrane had achieved a technical mastery of the saxophone that was light years ahead of his peers, and here that talent meets at a crossroads with Coltrane's soul on its journey towards enlightenment. This is the product of that meeting. And whatever enlightenment is to you, I think you'll hear it in volumes here. It's one long piece, split into four tracks with the titles "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm". The message is overtly spiritual - reference Coltrane's poem by the same name - and the beautiful thing about music without words is that it can deliver the message panoramically to anyone of any spiritual persuasion. Only the most sullen atheist wouldn't feel moved by what's happening in this album. There are passages of quiet reverence juxtaposed with furious bursts of atonal epiphany. The first and last tracks are the standouts as they are the most memorable - the first for its sophistication in stating the theme, the last for its sheer emotion. There's even a mystery saxophone overdub in the closing seconds of the album; no one's claimed definitive knowledge of how exactly it got into the final mix. Put it on the platter, and you'll always find yourself rewarded and moved when the last note ends. It's that deep.

Yes, there is no better jazz album (or if you prefer, disc).

Listen to the urgency, the striving, the aspiring. This was John Coltrane's paen to the divine. This was his leap for the immortal and his immortality. He succeeded both ways more than he would ever know.

Churches have been organized around this music. This is no joke. Modern-day fundamentalists should listen too--hint: it's about The Big Guy (or Gal).

For the naysayers and doubters: Put away your Kenny G and smooth-jazz albums. At least for the time it takes to listen to "A Love Supreme." Put it on. Play it over and over. Listen for the nuances of 'Trane's sax, the young McCoy Tyner's majestic piano chords, Garrison's and Elvin Jones' resounding bass and rhythm lines. Listen without prejudice for about 10 or 30 times. Put it on in your car or at home. Above all, play it for your children. Then say you're not moved.

These are not "old farts" in the words of one Amazon reviewer. These are masters who were recording one of the greatest gifts humankind has ever known. Yes, the recording is not the best; it was 1964, an analog/two-track world before zeros and one and who-knows how many channels. Yes, Coltrane explores some upper register sounds (yeooo; my i-pod's turned up too loud!) But what these four master musicians did has only grown in stature these forty years later. When people who appreciate music 40 years hence have forgotten about what passes for ersatz jazz these days they'll be listening to this one.

I bought this album two days ago, and I'm still trying to take it all in. At first I was aprehensive about there only being four songs, but not any more. I'm beating around the bush here, so I'll cut to the chase. This is quite possibly the best piece of music I have ever heard. This is better than (in my humble opinion)Kind of Blue, the Brandenburgh Concertos, Avalanche by Matthew Good, or Mellon Collie and the infinite sadness. I only seriously started listening to jazz less than a year ago, but right away I latched on to Monk and Davis (because I play piano and trumpet), not to mention Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. I first heard Jhon Coltrne on the Essential Miles Davis on "So What" and was blwon away. I picked up Kind of Blue and in my opinion, Coltrane dominates the entire album. Naturaly I went and got "A Love Supreme", it being widely regarded as his masterpeice. Each of the four tracks is stunning and unique. The diverse introduction of "Aknowledgement", the urbane, slightley bluesey feel of "Resolution", the breathtaking energy of "Pursuance", and the almost orchestral climaxe of "Psalm". All in all, this is a slice of pure joy.

A note to the person who gave one star saying this was old music for old people and complained about the lack of guitars: I'm fifteen years old, and I enjoy "screaming guitars" (if it's actulay well done) If you were expecting guitars, what were you thinking: this is jazz, not heavy metal.

Any critic that sits down and attempts to name the ten most influencial artists of America would have to stumble upon John Coltrane.

Working with big names for years before being recognized, John Coltrane was eventually called by Miles Davis to help with a recording. That recording ("Kind of Blue") could be discussed until Kingdom Come, but most know that nearly all musicians involved with it went on to do great things.

Coltrane was very popular before this 1964 release, but until "A Love Supreme" he hadn't connected, come to terms, with his spiritual side through his music. Battling through depression (brough on by drugs more than likely), he looked towards his religious roots growing up in North Carolina to record this album.

The opening bass line is one of the most recognizable in any music to date. "Acknowledgement" is an ode to (the Christian) God, but many claim that "Allah Supreme" is chanted as a look back to a previous time when he came into contact with Islam.

Regardless of any of that, "A Love Supreme" is one of the most well known jazz recordings of all time. Some regard Coltrane as thee definitive jazz musician and one of the best musicians ever. After all these years this album still holds up. It's spiritual, it's uplifting (one "verse" consists of a poem "spoken" through John's sax!), and at times catchy. It's accessible for those looking to get into jazz, but even those who have memorized every note and improvisation still find much to discuss.

A must for any jazz collection.

This is one of the best selling albums in the history of jazz, and with good reason. I can remember the first time that I heard this: the opening notes played by Coltrane felt like a call to arms or the beginning of a journey, and they were. I had read an article prior to hearing this piece (which I believe was written by Coltrane's son) where he said he remembered his father walking the floor upstairs and working on each passage he played to get to the true essence of what he was trying to say with the music. This care and attention shows, and that always sticks in the back of my mind whenever I listen to this album. It's truly a magical moment when you hear Coltrane's voice chanting "A Love Supreme" after he has been playing that passage of notes on his saxophone matching the syllables of the words. The musicianship here is incredible: McCoy Tyner is phenomenal on this set as is the rest of the band. Elvin Jones' polyrhythmic style of drumming as showcased on this album is extremely inspiring to me. Coltrane created a masterpiece on this album and I am always taken to a special place each time I hear it. I have given this as a gift to so many people because there is something about the spirituality and passion of this music that I think everyone should experience.