I was eager to listen to this album as it is not only considered to be one of Coltrane’s best, but one of the seminal cornerstones of the entire Jazz genre. Coltrane is one of the most well known and highly influential Jazz musicians. He rose to prominence in the mid to late 50s while playing for such Jazz greats as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. After proving his ability with these acts to wide critical acclaim, he signed to recently founded Impulse records and formed his own quartet in the early 60s. A Love Supreme was one of two albums Coltrane recorded in 1964, both spiritual in nature. I usually don’t think of Jazz in a spiritual context, but in reality, this makes perfect sense. After all, Jazz developed from, among many other diverse sources, the Spiritual itself. To give you an idea of how the music industry has changed since the mid 60s, this album was recorded on December 9th of 1964 in a single session. It was released less then two months later. From this time up through today, its impact has been both far-reaching and powerful. Not only critically acclaimed, it is adored by the public as well. Needless to say, I wanted to find out why people hold for this work, A Love Supreme.
The Album is set up as a four-part suite. The first side contains two tracks, Acknowledgement followed by Resolution. Acknowledgement starts off with a brief introduction. This consists of Coltrane playing over ringing cymbals and tremolo piano chords, which sets up a kind of anticipation. Soon after, Jimmy Garrison comes in on bass, introducing the album’s main theme, a short four-note riff. The rest of the band then joins in with Coltrane at the forefront. Coltrane’s solo, the only extended one in this track, is superb. Not only does he utilize a large dynamic range, he displays an intense ferocity, trying desperately to fit in all of his notes. Another thing I noticed was his penchant for modal experimentation undoubtedly learned during his tenure with Miles Davis’s quintet. As he fades away playing the album’s four-note theme, the track takes a surprising turn. His voice can be heard taking over as he sings the title of the album on this same four-note theme. I honestly wasn’t expecting to hear vocals on this Jazz album so it provided me with a nice surprise. This theme is sung for a couple eights before fading away. Soon the other instruments take this cue slowly fading away as well, one by one, until the bass player finishes the track’s final notes.
Track two, Resolution, starts off just how the first one ended, with bass only. This is an excellent technique as it provides cohesiveness for the album. This makes perfect sense as the album is set up as one four-movement suite. Unexpectedly, a wall of sound crashes in as the whole band takes over. This piece takes on a moderate, moving tempo as well. I would identify the overall sound of this album as being hybrid. Sometimes the band conveys the harder sound of be-bop at other times the relaxed feel of cool. Unlike the first track, this one features more of the different quartet members including a delightful piano solo by McCoy Tyner. Through this solo he continues the modal exploration begun by Coltrane in the first track. After this, Coltrane comes in with a solo of his own. One of the things that makes Coltrane’s playing so impressive is his ability to play long lines and keep on going. In addition, he packs each line with so many notes; it’s a wonder he can breathe at all! As the quartet ends the piece, it’s interesting to note how they all work together as a cohesive unit, even through the last note. This track is probably my favorite, in part due to the strength of its primary theme.
Side two is made up of parts three and four, which appear as a single track. Part three, Pursuance, starts off with a drum solo, just one of the many unexpected things which makes this album so great. Coltrane then cuts in on tenor as if he can’t wait to start. Soon, Tyner takes over on piano, this time displaying more be-bop tendencies with a faster, more melodic solo. Coltrane then comes back to the forefront once again launching into another one of his intense solos. In this movement, the solos seem to get progressively better. It’s almost as if each player is building on the others, excitedly trying to out do the last. As Coltrane continues, he picks up the pace making this movement the fastest one. Again, his playing is remarkably fast paced and includes frenzied, choppy phrases, as he urgently tries to fit in all of the notes. He pushes the sound of his tone, as if feverishly extolling a higher power. Like his playing earlier in the movement, he alludes to the four-note theme. This time, however, it is less recognizable as he gets further away from it. Eventually, he winds down, letting Elvin Jones take over on drums. This solo provides a sort of transition to the fourth and final movement, Psalm. As the drummer fades away, the bass player takes over. Unlike the rest of the album, his playing is quite soft. In fact, the playing is so quiet; it almost requires the listener to turn up the volume in order to be heard. This calm style of playing seems intriguingly out of place. As he continues, he just barely hints at the four-note theme before experimenting with different modes, playing it in a sequence. Gradually, the other band members start to come in, slowly building tension. Tyner begins rolling the timpani drums, further adding to this tension. Then Coltrane comes in, beautifully developing a deliberately measured line. As the band continues to play, the feeling that is created is one of suspense. They continue exploit this mysterious sound for over six minutes, expertly building tension the whole way through. Finally, Coltrane finishes his line with the band joining him on the last chord dramatically ending the piece. This method of ending the suite was a risky one that paid off exponentially. As a result, not only is the music powerful in its intensity, it is fashioned in an astonishingly creative way.
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