A few days later, I discovered while looking online that
another library branch had a copy of A
Love Supreme. I immediately headed out for the other library location,
since I had decided that now is the time to hear that classic work of
jazz. Happily, I found the CD, checked
it out and put it in the CD player of my Ford Ranger as I headed back home. A quick look at the liner notes had indicated to
me that this was a testimony of searching and gratitude to a higher power.
Listening to that CD allowed me to hear that testimony in the language of jazz. I enjoyed the opportunity to finally hear the
music I had heard about off and on for so many years.
Three weeks later, I spotted the Blue Train CD on the shelf. I had not yet put that one in the player
to listen to it. Knowing that it had
been some time since I checked it out, I went online to verify the due
date. The CD was due that very day! “No
problem,” I thought, “I’ll just renew it to give me time to listen hear it.”
When I tried to renew it online, however, I got a red-lettered message that renewal
was not possible, the CD was on hold, requested by another patron. That was
serious. I could not deny someone else the joy of Coltrane. I had to get to the
library right away. I had some other errands to run, so I decided to
pop Blue Train into the CD player of my truck while I ran about town. I would make the library my last stop.
When the strains of Blue
Train came across the speakers, the day became lighter and more joyful. As I
said earlier, I cannot claim to be an expert on jazz, but this was yet another
exceptional recording! In many ways it was easier to listen to that A Love Supreme. When I finished all my errands, I headed downtown to the library where I would return the CD for the next patron to
enjoy. You may not believe it, but at
the exact moment that I pulled into the parking space at the library, the last
bars of the final track on that CD were complete! I was truly in the Tao! The
music and the travel ended simultaneously. That was one more tribute to the
magic of John Coltrane.
I have since gone online to learn more about the artist. I took a brief look at the John Coltrane official website and found a Wikipedia article about him. Like many artists and musicians, Coltrane had his struggles. I learned that the inspiration for A Love Supreme came after a near
fatal drug overdose in the late 1950s. Apparently that experience solidified his resolve to embrace his spirituality. So many poets and artists seem to write
from the extreme edges of life, and they declare to the rest of us from those
extremes the beauty and grandeur of life. Gratitude becomes the best response
to life, showing us how to live with a
joyful celebration, even in the midst of pain and struggle.
He was only 40 when he died from liver cancer, but he left
quite legacy in his short life. As I
read further about Coltrane, I learned that he was canonized as a saint by the
African Orthodox Church in 1982, and that the St. John Coltrane African
Orthodox Church in San Francisco uses Coltrane’s music and lyrics in its
liturgy and prayers -- further tribute to
the creative expression the man gave to the world in his music. I’ve only
lately come to experience some of his music. I look forward to hearing more.
I recently listened to some John Coltrane too. I put him in Pandora and it started playing some of the smoothest music I've heard in a long time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this excellent article on Coltrane. I'm a fan too.
ReplyDelete