John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

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 Amazon.com

Mere Words Are Inadquate to Describe This Incredible Work of Art

I have the deluxe edition that includes the Antibes performance of A Love Supreme as well as that "lost" recording with Archie Shepp and Art Davis. I don't think this additional material is all that necessary unless you are a student of this man's music.

The actual release "A Love Supreme" is a recording that belongs in every serious music collection. This is wonderful, inspired music. It is the pinnacle of Coltrane's career, no question. Everything about Trane's music changed from this point forward. A Love Supreme is a summation of all his previous work and an introduction to the music to come. It is probably the most sincere, heartfelt work ever release by a "jazz" musician, perhaps any musician.

There are two recordings in post-bop jazz that transcend everything else. 1. Kind of Blue
2. A Love Supreme

If you are a musician, the Lewis Porter biography is an essential companion to A Love Supreme. It contains detailed analysis of Trane's approach to improvisation on this masterwork.

One amazing fact about this release is that it was put together with very little rehearsal and preparation. The music was not fully written out for that matter. Given this information, it's amazing how PERFECT this recording and the performances of all of the musicians, both collectively and individually really is.

In summary, A Love Supreme is one of America's finest contributions to world culture and a high point in the creative spirit of humanity. What more can be said? May 29, 2008

A Love Supreme

John Coltrane-A Love Supreme *****

Being a massive Miles Davis fan but not owning much jazz other than Davis, Coltrane came highly recommended, especially A Love Supreme. So I finally broke down and bought it, and my only gripe is with myself, that I didn't buy this masterpiece sooner! Upon hearing the title I assumed it was a spiritual album of sorts, and I was correct. The album symbolizes Coltrane's search for music, spiritual, and cultural freedom. Though I'm not sure he live long enough to see all those things go into effect, I am pretty sure he did gain his musical freedom.

A Love Supreme plays out like a suite of hope, redemption, and remorse. The power of McCoy Tyners piano through out adds elements of life to a bleak bass line like that of Jimmy Garrison (and by bleak I mean melancholy). Coltrane's tenor saxophone is chilling at times, especially during the droning 'Psalm' which closes the album. But what makes this album especially memorable for me is Elvin Jones. His playing through out the album is phenomenal. Some of the all time best drumming I have ever heard. 'Pursuance' has easily the best drum solo of all time! Eat your heart out John Bonham! 'Acknowledgement' opens the album with a bold statement wrapped in polyrythyms, While 'Resolution' like the title may suggest seems to be the answer or counter part to 'Acknowledgement.'

As you all know A Love Supreme is a classic jazz album, but more than that it is a classic album of all time branching more that just jazz. So do yourself a favor and don't put it off any longer as I did. Because this must be heard to appreciate because my review chances are did not do it justice. April 29, 2008

An Album of Amazing Beauty and Depth

John Coltrane wrote and recorded his work, "A Love Supreme" after having an intense spiritual awaking and often stated that he believed the album to be his musical love letter to God. The album is probably, next to "Blue Train," Coltrane's best known work by the world as a whole. While I belong to the point of view that everyone of Coltrane's works was a work of genius and that they were all truely works of great art, "A Love Supreme" ranks as one of my favorite Coltrane albums. The music on the album is amazing in it's mixing of moving melodies and ballad-like moments and intense and passionate experimentation that would become a standard in Coltrane's later works. The piece as a whole truely feels as if one is going through Coltrane's spiritual awakening as well as one moves through the stages that each of the pieces that make up the album is named after. I have always believed that there was a special significance to the art of music and it being perhaps the only art form that can bring natural in contact with the divine and Coltrane's work is truely proof of this theory. Whether you are new to Coltrane or jazz in general, you can't go wrong with picking "A Love Supreme" as a strarting point. April 2, 2008

An almost unendurable beauty.

I will not waste time and space here repeating what has already been said.

All I will say is that when I hear the first notes of Aknowledgement, it affects me in a visceral way. I feel shivers throughout my body, and a sense of refreshment not unlike reaching the surface of the water, and filling my lungs with air moments before I drown. The light of dawn breaking over the horizon after a dark and frightening night. The embrace of a loved one after a long and torturous seperation.


Halfway through, I'm weeping. I can't help it.

As brilliant as it is, this is not merely an artistic performance. It is a prayer; a human soul addressing himself to the Creator. And a sharing of the intensly personal reaction that soul recieves as an answer in the form of a glimpse of Oneness.

This album is one of the greatest musical treasures of the 20th century. I thank Allah for the music of John Coltrane.

By the way; it may interest the reader to know that Coltrane's original liner notes quite similar to the English translation of Surat-ul Fatiha; the first chapter of the Qur'an. February 9, 2008

If you love intensely passionate artistry, you'll love A Love Supreme like I do.

This is a genuine classic in Jazz, sure, but, this is a powerful spiritual statement of free-spirited unbridled but constructive passion, as you can tell by the title, A Love Supreme. Everyone gets their own values and benefits from well done art, and this is one of those artistic values... So, I end this review here with.. A Love Supreme... A Love Supreme... A Love Supreme... (As was chanted on the CD/Vinyl Album Recording)

Captain Josh. December 17, 2007

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