Artist: John Coltrane
Album: A Love Supreme
Year: 1965
John Coltrane is no doubt the most famous of all saxophonists. He played the tenor fantastically on Miles Davis' quintessential Kind of Blue, and would later go off on his own as a solo artist. As it turns out, he learned a few things from his buddy Miles, but would go even further into the heart of jazz on A Love Supreme.
A Love Supreme is divided into four songs: "Acknowledgement" (sic), "Resolution," "Pursuance," and "Psalm." There are many folks out there who consider this album a "spiritual" work, there's even a church out in California that cites this album among its holy "books."
Me, I think that's a complete load of hogwash. If people feel like this album represents some kind of "higher calling," so be it, but I reserve the right to consider them wackjobs. I think this is a good album, or at least three-quarters of a great album. But some kind of manna from heaven? It is not.
This album starts off with the most pretentious "song" in music history, "Acknowledgement." Basically this tune consists of Coltrane's aimless, formless, possessed noodling for six minutes (where he repeats the same little licks over and over again and fucks up some notes here and there). And then the vocals come in, chanting "a love supreme, a love supreme, a love supreme, a love supreme..." for another minute. End song. Ugh. I love Coltrane and the saxophone is no doubt my favorite of all instruments, but "Acknowledgement" tests my limits of what I even consider musical. Maybe that's the point? Whatever.
Now that I've just bashed "the greatest jazz album of all-time," let me say that the last three tracks here are fantastic. "Resolution" is beautiful, meditative, and graceful. "Pursuance" is smooth, has a killer piano solo in its first half, and a climactic sax solo in its second half. "Psalm" is plaintive and cathartic. For me it still doesn't stand up to Kind of Blue. I much prefer Coltrane's own Giant Steps to this one. I think it's somewhat kindred with The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus, another album I can't say I really get, but like A Love Supreme, repeat listens are necessary to reveal the layers of nuance and beauty.
Rating: Worth repeated listens
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