Tom Vincent - John Coltrane - Development of the Modal Style

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JOHN COLTRANE:The Development of the Modal Style Period

Tom in!ent

Thesis submission in partial fulfilment of the requirements

for the degree of Bachelor of Music (Honours)

O!to"er #$$$

School of Music

Victorian College of the Arts

Uniersit! of Melbourne



Statement of a%thenti!ity

This thesis is the original "or# of Tom Vincent$ %here the research of

other authors has been discussed it has been referenced in the te&t$

Tom Vincent

'ctober

2



A!&no'led(ment)

* "ould li#e to e&tend m! heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to And!

Sugg+ Tim Steens+ ,illian %ills+ -aurel Hemming+ and Clare .hoden "ho

hae taught me so much this !ear and "ho hae helped me "ith the "riting of

this thesis$

%ith their inspiration+ encouragement+ and practical adice+ this paper

has also come into being than#s to -ucie Same#+ Matthe" /irth+ Campbell

Vincent+ .alph 0e"mar#+ and m! parents+ .oger and Carol$

Special than#s are due to Marc Meader for inspiring me "ith his o"n

appreciation of 1ohn Coltrane and sharing man! rare recordings "ith me$

3



Content)

/ore"ord

Chapter *ntroduction

Chapter 2 Biograph!

Chapter 3 -iterature .eie"

Chapter 4 Musical *nfluences

Chapter 5 Coltrane6s Modal 7eriod

Chapter 8 The /inal 9ear of Coltrane6s Modal 7eriod+

Three Musical :&amples;

<Ac#no"ledgement<

<Brasilia<

<Transition<

Chapter = Conclusion

Appendi& A Transcriptions of Coltrane6s *mproisations;

<Ac#no"ledgement<

<Bra>ilia<

<Transition<

Appendi& B Chronolog! of the .ecordings made of Coltrane

from ?ecember 84 to 0oember 85

Bibliograph!

?iscograph!

4



*ore'ord

<M! goal is to lie the trul! religious life and e&press it in m! music$ *f !ou

lie it+ "hen !ou pla! there@s no problem because the music is ust part of the

"hole thing$ To be a musician is reall! something$ *t goes er!+ er! deep$

M! music is the spiritual e&pression of "hat * am m! faith + m! #no"ledge+

m! being$$$%hen !ou begin to see the possibilities of music+ !ou desire to do

something reall! good for people+ to help humanit! free itself from its hang

ups$ * thin# music can ma#e the "orld better and+ if *@m qualified+ * "ant to

do it$ *@d li#e to point out to people the diine in a musical language that

transcends "ords$ * "ant to spea# to their souls$1

<The true po"ers of music are still un#no"n$ $$$ *@m passionate about

understanding these forces$ $$$ *t@s in that direction that * "ant to commit

m!self and to go as far as possible$<2

1'H0 C'-T.A0:

Chapter #

1Lewis Porter. John Coltrane, His Life and Music, Uniersit! of Michigan 7ress+ Ann

Arbor+ D+ 23

2Porter 213

5



*nroduction

<* "as a "aiter at the Village Vanguard in the earl! 8Es+ and to me Coltrane

"as li#e BachF for me there6s no one after either of them$<3

*n common "ith Bach+ Coltrane "as a man of incredible musical maturit!

"ith a prolific+ consistentl! high qualit! output$ -i#e Bach he "as also a composer+

an improiser+ and a deepl! religious man$ This paper inestigates Coltrane6s

pioneering of modal a>>+ "ith particular reference to three musical e&amples from

the final !ear of his modal period$

T"o piotal albums from 5 that inoled Coltrane "ere prominent a>>

trumpeter and band leader Miles ?ais6s Kind of Blue and Coltrane6s ground brea#ing

Giant Steps$ Through the earl! 8Es his output "as profuse$ *n 84 he recorded

onl! t"o albums+ Crescent and A Love Supreme$ The follo"ing !ear+ the final !ear of

his modal period+ there "ere si&teen recordings made of Coltrane$

Coltrane "as a irtuoso sa&ophonist and a highl! influential composer$ A

relentless inestigator of "orld musics+ he became the forbear of modal a>>$

Through the 8Es+ "hile ?ais6s music deeloped mostl! "ith underl!ing chordal

concepts+ Coltrane deeloped compositions "ith reduced harmonic rh!thm$ This

modal approach allo"ed Coltrane to produce music of a "ide emotional range and of

e&ceptional energ! and intensit!$

The Classic Coltrane Guartet "as Coltrane6s band of the period from 8 to

85$ *t must be ta#en into account that there "as a special chemistr! bet"een the

members of the Classic Coltrane Guartet+ "hose fertilit! enabled Coltrane to gie

realisation to his concepts$ Coltrane6s influence on McCo! T!ner (piano) is "idel!

3 J.C. Thomas, Chasin the Trane, !ou"le !a#, $.%. 1&'(.)152 *uote from +urt

+ritton

(



eident in the music$ The rapport bet"een :lin 1ones (drums) and Coltrane is one

of the most fertile in a>>$ 1imm! ,arrison (bass) pla!ed "ith an equall! original st!le

and sufficient humilit! to ma#e the "hole sound "or# so "ell$ He follo"ed Coltane6s

improised implied harmonic moements "ith seemingl! ps!chic s!nchronicit!$

*n particular this paper e&amines three of Coltrane6s improisations$ These

are <Ac#no"ledgement< from A Love Supreme+ recorded on ?ecember 84+

<Brasilia< from The John Coltrane Quartet Plays , recorded on = Ma! 85+ and

<Transition< from Transition+ recorded on E 1une 85$

Chapter +

'



Biograph!

1ohn %illiam Coltrane+ an onl! child+ "as born on 23 September 28 in

0orth Carolina$ His father died "hen Coltrane "as t"ele$ His mother@s father+ an

authoritatie+ patriachal figure+ "as a Methodist minister$ At the age of t"ele

Coltrane6s grades at school declined as his interest in music too# oer$ B! the age of

seenteen+ Coltrane "as pla!ing professionall!+ haing moed from pla!ing clarinet

to alto sa&aphone$

After the second "orld "ar+ Coltrane+ in his earl! t"enties+ "as pla!ing tenor

sa&aphone "ith 0a! bands$ The beaut! of his melodic inention is apparent in

Coltrane6s recordings from the late 4Es and earl! 5Es as "ell as in his earl!

compositions$ The bebop reolution "as in full s"ing and Coltrane "as an actie

participant$

B! the mid 5Es he had oined the bebop band of Miles ?ais and "as

receiing international acclaim$ His music "as strong+ but after !ears of heroin

addiction and alcoholism he had become unprofessional and "as fired b! ?ais+ a

former heroin addict himself "ho "anted Coltrane to gie up the drug$ -ater

Coltrane reoined ?ais but soon left to lead his o"n group a loss that ?ais al"a!s

regretted$ His transition from sideman to band leader happened graduall! oer three

!ears$

*n 5= he made his first recording under his o"n name for the 7restige label$

Soon after this he recorded Blue Trane under his o"n name for the Blue 0ote label$

This recording consists mostl! of original Coltrane compositions "ith a bebop

rh!thm section "hose s"ing feel is sluggish compared to that of the Classic Coltrane

Guartet (885)$



.eno"ned a>> pianist Thelonious Mon# had seen ?ais punching Coltrane in

the band room after he had fired him in 5=$ Mon# too# Coltrane on as a #ind of

apprentice$ He spent man! da!s at Mon#6s house learning Mon#6s compositions b!

ear$ ?uring this brief+ underrecorded+ but highl! fruitful collaboration+ Coltrane "as

described b! the critic+ *ra ,itler+ as pla!ing <sheets of sound<$ This apt phrase

became generall! associated "ith Coltrane6s music from that time on$ As Coltrane

remar#ed; <%hen * "as "ith Miles ?aisI+ * didn6t hae an!thing to thin# about but

m!self+ so * sta!ed at the piano and chordsJ chordsJ chordsJ * ended up pla!ing them

on m! hornJ<4

According to the liner notes to A Love Supreme, released in 85+ Coltrane

made a pledge to ,od in 5=+ o"ing to lead a spirituall! a"are life and to bring

happiness to people through his music$ His Muslim "ife and Christian mother+ "ith

"hom he lied+ "ere his inspiration and support "hen he "ent 6cold tur#e!6+ and "on

his battle against heroin and alcohol$

The different religious faiths and practices in his famil! ma! hae influenced

Coltrane6s eclecticism in his spiritual and musical searches$ The spiritual aspect of his

life impacted on his approach to music+ and in turn affected his sound$

*n the late 5Es and through the 8Es he listened to recordings of musics

from all oer the "orld$ He became thoroughl! selfeducated in man! different

musical genres$

'rnette Coleman "as an aantgarde alto sa&ophonist "ho came to

prominence at this time and "hom Coltrane admired greatl!$ Coleman dispensed

"ith not onl! a chordal instrument in his band but also "ith the harmonic restrictions

that such an instrument easil! imposes$ :ric ?olph! "as an equall! distinctie aant

garde reed pla!er from -os Angeles "ho became one of Coltrane6s best friends+

41ohn Coltrane+ from /ran# Kofs#!6s original liner notes to The John Coltrane Quartet Plays 85<$

&



spending hundreds of hours practising "ith him5$ ?olph! oined the Coltrane Guartet

regularl! for concerts and recordings through the earl! 8Es$ :ach had a strong

influence on the other6s music$

The albums Kind of Blue and Giant Steps+ recorded in 5+ "ere maor

turning points in the direction of a>>$ These albums are discussed in Chapter 5$ The

recording of the Miles ?ais Se&tet6s Kind of Blue+ featuring Coltrane+ is a

brea#through into modal a>>+ using a simplified+ open frame"or# "ith fe"er chords$

Coltrane6s Giant Steps+ "ith its dense and comple& formulaic harmonic structure+

represents a final outreach of the bebop deelopment$

*n 8E+ Coltrane became er! famous "ith the release of his album y

!avorite Thin"s$ The first trac# is the title trac# of the album+ "hich is follo"ed b!

<:er! Time %e Sa! ,oodb!e<+ <Summertime<+ and <But 0ot /or Me<$ All of these

songs "ere alread! familiar "ith the general public$ Ho"eer+ he b! no means

sacrifices his artistic integrit! to popular taste$ <But 0ot /or Me< uses some of his

<,iant Steps< st!le chord changes and <M! /aorite Things< is a "indo" into

forthcoming modal aenues$

His Coltrane Plays the Blues album "as also released in 8E$ *t is a blues

concept of all original material$ %hen he pla!ed the blues+ Coltrane usuall! pla!ed

the original+ basic chord progression rather than the st!lised blues of the beboppers$

The first t"o trac#s on the album use this simple progression and are dedicated to

Sidne! Bechet and :lin 1ones respectiel!$ The ne&t four trac#s are in the blues

form "ith chord changes unli#e an! blues pla!ed before$

Sidne! Bechet "as the first a>> e&ponent of the soprano sa&ophone "hich

Coltrane had ust started pla!ing himself+ using it on the album y !avourite Thin"s$

:lin 1ones is considered to be one of the "orld6s greatest a>> drummers$ Coltrane

first heard 1ones "hile still "ith ?ais "hen 1ones replaced the regular drummer+

5!ol)h# )la#ed "ass clarinet, alto sa-o)hone, and ute.

1/



7hill! 1oe 1ones on one engagement$ %hen Coltrane "as putting his o"n group

together+ :lin 1ones "as his drummer of choice$

1ones and T!ner oined Coltrane@s group in 8E$ Coltrane had #no"n T!ner

from "hen the! both lied in 7hiladelphia$ T!ner had "or#ed on the Giant Steps

chord changes "ith Coltrane "ell before the <,iant Steps< album "as recorded$

0either T!ner nor 1ones "ere aailable "hen Coltrane put his first group together+

but as soon as the! "ere able+ the! oined Coltrane and made seeral classic

recordings "ith bass pla!er Stee ?ais$

*n 8 ,arrison "as the final member to oin Coltrane to create "hat

became #no"n as the LClassic Coltrane Guartet$ This group "as together until the

end of 85+ b! "hich time Coltrane had added another tenor sa&ophonist+ 7haraoh

Sanders+ and another drummer+ .ashied Ali$ T!ner and 1ones left+ "hile ,arrison

sta!ed until Coltrane died in Ma! 8=$

The s!nerg! that resulted from his collaborations "as no doubt due to not

onl! his choice of musicians but also to his tact$ He "as not a man to tell his

musicians ho" to pla! although he #ne" "hat sound he "anted to hear$

B! the end of the 5Es Coltrane had acquired self confidence from his

success as a band leader$ ?uring the ne&t seeral !ears his recorded output "as

prolific and ranged "idel!$ /or his lie performances+ ho"eer+ he concentrated on a

small staple repertoire$ The ehicles for these improisations "ere <*mpressions<+

<M! /aorite Things<+ <Chasin6 the trane<+ <Bessies Blues<+ <Mr 7C<+ <0aima<+ and

<* %ant To Tal# About 9ou<$ The innoations and ariations "ithin this staple

repertoire "ere prodigious$ *n an interie" in 7aris on 0oember 83+ Coltrane

said he needed to get a"a! from pla!ing the same tunes oer and oer$(

Coltrane6s originalit! made him imperious to assumptions about conentional

format$ An e&ample of this occurred in 83 "hen he recorded his composition

(Porter 231

11



<Alabama< His phrasing on the piece is inspired b! a speech b! Martin -uther King

1r$ The composition is dedicated to the !oung blac# girls "ho "ere #illed in a Klu

Klu& Klan church bombing in Alabama$ Half "a! through this sombre piece Coltrane

suddenl! tells his sidemen to stop and then continues unaccompanied$

?uring 83 Coltrane had trouble "ith his sa&ophone mouth piece$ His

recorded output that !ear "as technicall! less demanding$ *t included a ballads

album+ an album "ith ?u#e :llington+ and an album "ith an obscure ballad singer+

1ohnn! HartmanF The! surprised and delighted most a>> critics$

The conseratism of these recordings contrasted "ith his lie performances+

"hich continued to push the boundaries of music$ Some fans+ e&pecting to hear "hat

the! had at home on record+ "ere disappointed "hen the! "ent to hear the eer

searching Coltrane lie$ His lie performances "ere not onl! ahead of his recordings

from preious !ears but the! "ere also ahead of his concurrent recordings$

This "as not the first time that Coltrane lost fans$ After being "ith Miles

?ais for !ears he "anted to leae and lead his o"n group$ %hat held him bac# "as

first+ the uncertaint! about his popularit! and second+ he "as happ! "ith the financial

securit! of pla!ing "ith the "orld6s highest paid a>> musician$ The Miles ?ais

group pla!ed prett! sho" tunes in "hich Coltane@s solos "ere increasing in length+

harmonic language+ and emotional intensit!$ -i#e man! great innoators he "as

faced "ith the isolation entailed in the brea#ing of ne" ground$ As musicologist+

,erhard 7utschgl+ points out; <one can perceie in the course of his deelopment

an increasingl! uncompromising stance+ "hich regarded itself as obligated primaril!

to"ard his o"n personal deelopment$<'

.egardless of "hether or not Coltrane "as pla!ing bebop+ he "as al"a!s

pla!ing in his o"n st!le and emerged "ith such distinctie concepts that he stands out

een be!ond the "orld of a>>+ influencing man! aant garde "estern art composers$

'Putsch0l 31&

12



Coltrane "as indefatigable$ :er! !ear from as earl! as the Miles ?ais

!ears+ Coltrane toured :urope$ *n 88 he toured 1apan "ith his final quartet "hich

included his "ife+ Alice Coltrane+ on piano$ This band+ of the last and most

iconoclastic period of Coltrane6s career+ rarel! directl! stated a pulse$ The music "as

a radical+ !et logical+ deelopment from his modal period$

The <flo"er po"er< reolution of the 8Es and other consciousness raising

moements the se&ual reolution+ the anti"ar moement+ the blac# ciil rights

moement+ the rise of improisation and spontaneit! of the aantgarde in the arts

"orld from the 4Es and 5Es+ and the free a>> moement "ith its general

reection of :urocentric aesthetics all contributed to the social enironment in

"hich Coltrane "as "or#ing$ The! "ould naturall!+ if onl! indirectl!+ hae had their

influences$ *t "as+ ho"eer+ the climate of his musical genre+ a time of e&ploratie

ferment in the a>> "orld+ that made Coltrane a man for+ and ultimatel! "ell ahead of+

his time$

Coltrane@s music is er! dense$ *ts profundit! eoled through relentless dail!

stud! and deelopment$ He "as religious in a personal "a! and all of his music "as

embued "ith this sanctit!$ There "as nothing triial about Coltrane@s approach to

music$

0at Hentoff puts it "ell in his C? liner notes for #e$ Thin" at #e$port

(85); LColtrane has alread! made it in the sense that he has a si>eable international

audience$ B! his o"n stern criteria+ he "ill neer entirel! Lma#e it in terms of "hat

he "ants to sa! because the essence of Coltrane is an infinit! of searching$

C! liner notes to $ew Thin at $ew)ort $at Hento )&.

13



Chapter ,

-iturature .eie"

14



The most important "or#s on Coltrane aailable toda! are; John Coltrane,

%is Life and usic b! -e"is 7orter & , John Coltrane& A 'isco"raphy and usical

Bio"raphy b! 9asuhiro /uio#a1/ , John Coltrane and the Afro American (ral

Tradition b! ,erhard 7utschgl11+ and the transcriptions of Coltrane6s solos b!

Andre" %hite12$

-e"is 7orter+ a a>> sa&ophonist and pianist himself+ is a great admirer of

Coltrane$ His indepth and thorough account of Coltrane6s life and music opens up

dimensions of understanding for a heightened appreciation of Coltrane6s achieement$

*t is the first maor publication to ac#no"ledge the full significance of Coltrane6s

great contribution+ not onl! to the field of a>>+ but also to other fields of popular and

classical music$ 7orter goes so far as to gie him the title of <first "orld musician<$

'f particular interest in respect to this paper is his chapter on A Love Supreme "ith

its clear anal!sis of the first moement of this suite+ <Ac#no"ledgement<$

7orter has researched Coltrane6s childhood and famil! circumstances "ith

academic rigour+ unearthing factual information and reealing a broad picture of his

heritage and the social enironment in "hich Coltrane "as raised$

0umerous rare photographs and interie"s are shared "ith the reader as "ell

as accounts of Coltrane6s teenage !ears and the time he spent in 0a! bands$ .ecent

interie"s "ith a>> sa&ophonist+ 1imm! Heath+ "ho spent man! !ears "ith Coltrane+

&Lewis Porter. John Coltrane, His Life and Music, Uniersit! of Michigan 7ress+ Ann

Arbor D$

1/ %asuhiro uio6a. John Coltrane a !iscora)h# and Musical +iora)h#,

Scarecro" 7ress+ Metuchen+ 5$

117erhard Putsch0l. John Coltrane 8nd !ie 9froamericanische :raltradition,

Ja;; orschun 25 <1&&3=, 7ra;, 9ustria.

129ndrew >hite, 9ndrews Music,>ashinton

15



reeal intricacies of Coltrane6s musical and emotional deelopment$ These interie"s

coer the late 4Es and earl! 5Es+ "hich he spent touring America "ith blues

bands and later pla!ing "ith a>> legends ?i>>! ,illespie and Charlie 7ar#er$

7orter6s "riting on Coltrane6s time "ith Mon# is penetratie in disclosure and

unequalled b! other researchers$ Guotations from Coltrane tell ho" unsettled he felt

at first "hen Mon# "ould leae the bandstand for e&tended periods+ leaing Coltrane

to continue his improisation "ith ust the bassist and drummer$ This is interesting

because later+ during his !ears "ith the Classic Coltrane Guartet+ Coltrane "ould

often hae T!ner cease pla!ing for periods$ This time gae Coltrane huge harmonic

freedom in "hich to improise$

7orter ma#es a detailed coerage of Coltrane6s modal period+ his final t"o

!ears+ his stud! of foreign musics+ his eclectic spiritual stud!+ his relationships "ith

his t"o "ies and mistress+ and his death$

,erhard 7utschgl6s doctoral thesis+ John Coltrane and the Afro American

(ral Tradition, includes e&cellent anal!ses of Coltrane improisations from his modal

period on$ Chapter 8 of this paper refers to his anal!sis of <Transition<$ 7utshgl

ma#es obious the similarit! of Coltrane6s phrasing and improisation deelopment to

that of blac# Baptist preachers$ He points out that although Coltrane "as raised a

Methodist+ oer time he deeloped his o"n inner "orldreligion and at times used the

blac# preacher st!le in communicating his feelings$

Both 7utschgl6s and 7orter6s coerage of Coltrane6s modal period are

discussed in Chapter 5$

Andre" %hite6s transcriptions are a reliable documentation of Coltrane6s

recorded improisations and a most aluable resource for the anal!sis of Coltrane6s

music$ His transcriptions of the three recordings under discussion hae been

transposed into concert pitch in order to gie eas! access to inestigation on piano$

The! are appended to this paper$

1(



/uio#a6s concise 'isco"raphy and usical Bio"raphy reeals the ama>ing

amount of music Coltrane produced both in the studio and in concerts around the

"orld$ *n terms of output alone+ Coltrane6s achieement is impressie$

Another publication that uses Coltrane as a central figure is Blac)

#ationalism and the *evolution in usic b! /ran# Kofs#!$13 *n the "or#+ in an

interie" "ith Coltrane+ Kofs#! attempts to endo" him "ith a certain political

stance+ as#ing Coltrane questions "hich tr! to corner him into agreement "ith

Kofs!6s political agenda$ *t is understandable that attempts hae been made to

associate Coltrane "ith the blac# cultural struggle gien the intensit! and the

e&pressie po"er of his music and his brea# "ith :urocentric structural methods$

There "ere certainl! some political dimensions to the freea>> moement of the

time+ but Coltrane himself has made it clear+ on other occasions+ that "hat motiated

his endeaours "as a deepl! felt spiritual impulse that transcended politics$

-astl!+ Chasin+ the Trane+ subtitled+ <The Music and M!stique of 1ohn

Coltrane<+ b! 1$C$Thomas+ should be mentioned$14 This biograph! of Coltrane is

romantic and some"hat anecdotal compared "ith 7orter6s rigorous research and

toda! the scholarl! "orld does not rel! on it$ 0eertheless+ its e&istence is an

indication of the cult status that Coltrane had acquired$

The public "as fascinated b! Coltrane and his monumental output from 55

until his death ust t"ele !ears later in 8=$ Man! critics found his earl! bebop

improisations "ith the Miles ?ais Guintet less than masterl!$ %ithout the orienting

signposts of rh!micall! consistent+ resoling harmonic chord changes+ some critics to

the present da! hae found little to appreciate in Coltrane6s modal creations$ The

follo"ing t"o quotations sere to demonstrate;

13ran6 ?ofs6#. +lac6 $ationalism and the @eAolution in Music

14 J.C. Thomas, Chasin the Trane, !ou"le !a#, $.%. 1&'(.

1'



7ersonall! * find these er! boring trac#s+ ar!ing from E to =minutes+ interminabl! boring+ particularl! "hen the! are all ta#en at similar medium up tempi$ Allied to Coltrane@s ugl!+ strangulated sound+ the result isli#e a lost soul in torment$ The one e&ception to this is <0iama<+ "hichma#es a pleasant contrast in that it is a ballad+ and of course a delightful tuneas "ell+ and it onl! lasts seen minutesJ15

*n retrospect+ this could be considered a fairl! straight performance+ but at the time it represented a radical step$ Coltrane "as introducingelements of postColeman tonalit! into a musical "orld that+ for all itsemotional intensit!+ "as ruled b! strict and er! different rules$1(

The radical nature of Coltrane6s music tended to elicit e&treme responses$

The rapidit! of his e&traordinar! deelopment+ combined "ith the eident "a! in

"hich his spiritual commitment increasingl! flaoured his sound+ ultimatel! resulted

in a massie "ae of popular response that irtuall! amounted to cult "orship$ This

often had more to do "ith the feelings that his music eo#ed than it had to do "ith

intellectual appreciation of the coherence of his comple& and radical constructs$

%riting in D+ Charles ?$ ,erard reflects on this phenomenonF

1ohn Coltrane "as ac#no"ledged b! his follo"ers as such ane&emplar! figure$ His music reealed to them an indiidual "ho had reachedan eleated state of consciousness$ /or seeral decades the a>> communit!

had ascribed special importance to altered states of consciousness+ either druginduced or musicall! inspired$ Coltrane sho"ed that religious m!sticismcould lead someone to such a state "ithout into&icants$ *n this respect he"as a role model for !oung musicians "ho "anted to oin the a>> communit!"ithout becoming alcoholics or drug users$ Shortl! after his death it "ascommon to see ugs of "ater on stage+ in "hat "as sometimes a pointeddispla! of the performers@ sobriet!$

Coltrane@s spiritual a"a#ening had a profound effect on his music$%hile he "as undergoing it he had musical dreams in "hich he heard soundsthat he spent the rest of his life tr!ing to recapture$ *n one dream Charlie7ar#er told him to #eep "or#ing on his ne" approach to harmon!$ After his

religious a"a#ening Coltrane@s music gre" to become monumentall! intense+seemingl! created in a state of m!stical enthrallment$1'

15Mi#e Shera -ie in Antibes+ 85 1a>> 1 *nt 4=;22 'ct 4$

1(1a>> 1ournal *nternational+ 2 March p28 1ohn ColtraneNArchie Shepp L0e" Thing at

0e"port 85 reie" b! Barr! Mc.ae$

1



1a>> historian ?an Morgenstern recalls a t!pical eening at the Half 0ote

around 84 or 85;

The intensit! that "as generated "as absolutel! unbelieable$ * canstill feel it+ and it "as unli#e an! other feeling "ithin the music "e call a>> $$$$*t carried !ou a"a!$ *f !ou let !ourself be carried b! it+ it "as anabsolutel! ecstatic feeling$ And * thin# that #ind of ecstas! "as somethingthat Coltrane "as loo#ing for in his music$ 1

'utside the %est+ Coltrane6s music elicited strong responses of a distinctl!

diided nature also;

* "as much disturbed b! his music$ Here "as a creatie person "hohad become a egetarian+ "ho "as stud!ing !oga and reading the Bhagaad,ita+ !et in "hose music * still heard much turmoil$ * could not understandit$1&

%hen * heard Coltrane on record+ there "as tranquillit! and serenit!in his music$ * do not recall the #ind of restlessness in Coltrane@s music as *hae heard in other t!pes of music and from other musicians$ 2/

Much has been said about Coltrane oer the last fort! !ears$ *nterestingl!

enough+ it is onl! no" in the last thirteen !ears that+ through the "or# of people such

as 7orter and 7utschgl+ a deeper understanding of "hat Coltrane "as actuall! doing

has been reealed$

1',erard+ Charles ?$ 7DE 1a>> in Blac# and %hite %estport; 7raeger D$

17orter 28$

1&Thomas+ .ai Shan#ar 1&&.

2/ Thomas, S"amisatchidananda 1&&.

1&



Chapter -

Musical *nfluences

Coltrane "as raised in an all blac# neighbourhood of a small southern to"n in

0orth Carolina+ "here the African Methodist :piscopal Oion Church and the Gua#ers

e&erted a strong influence$ *n the Afrooral tradition+ religious ritual "as saturated

"ith music and glossilalia "as #no"n to bubble up$21

Spirituals and the blues "ere a

natural heritage$

His earliest sa&ophonist role models "ere Hodges+ %ebster+ and 9oung of the

s"ing era+ and then 7ar#er+ "hen he came to prominence in the late 4Es$

21the word lossilalia is a term em)lo#ed to descri"e s)ea6in in tonues.

2/



Hodges6s renditions of the blues and ballads are characterised b! rich

sensuous tones and an abundance of aried e&pressie nuancesF a melodic

soulfulness$ 7ar#er6s st!le+ in contrast+ emphasises drie+ pitch+ and rh!thm$

Hodges6s influence can be surmised in Coltrane6s slo"+ rubato compositions

and his beautiful renditions of ballads$ Coltrane6s use of false fingering techniques

"as pioneered b! 9oung among others$ Coltrane too# the d!namic intensit! of

7ar#er6s st!le to preiousl! une&plored territor!$ There "ere no precursers in a>> for

his e&pressie range of timbre+ his st!le of motiic deelopment+ and the rich

rh!thmic te&ture of his groups6 sound$

The a>> "orld of Coltrane6s time "as a liel! enironment$ He "as

surrounded b! the outstanding "or#ing a>> musicians of the period$ 1a>>+ due to its

improisational nature+ depends cruciall! on the collectie energ! of the pla!ersF their

interaction and communication$ The e&ceptional italit! around him+ and the cross

fertilisation that "as occurring all the time+ nurtured the essence of his o"n creatiit!$

Ho"eer+ the originalit! of his concepts is eident from 5= and became

increasingl! distinctie and radical up until his untimel! death a decade later$

?ais pla!ed minimall! and "as the perfect foil for Coltrane6s st!le$ Mon#

"as the first to sho" Coltrane ho" to produce t"o different notes on the sa&ophone

at the same time$

Coleman6s freel! melodic pol!tonalit! had an influence on Coltrane "hich is

not obious due to their radicall! different st!les+ but "as important in Coltrane6s

deelopment$ Coltrane said of him;

* loe him$ *@m follo"ing his lead$ He@s done a lot to open m! e!esto "hat can be done$$$$* feel indebted to him+ m!self$ Because+ actuall!+ "henhe came along+ * "as so far in this thing L,iant Steps chordsI+ * didn@t #no""here * "as going to go ne&t$ And * don@t #no" if * "ould hae thoughtabout ust abandoning the chord s!stem or not$ * probabl! "ouldn@t haethought of that at all$ And he came along doing it+ and * heard it+ * said+L%ell+ that must be the ans"er$ $$$Since * hae a piano+ "e hae to consider it+ and that accounts for the modes that "e pla!+ but$$$after a "hile+ that@s

21



going to get a little monotonous to do it on eer! song+ so there probabl! "ill be some songs in the future that "e@re going to pla!+ ust as 'rnette does+"ith no accompaniment from the piano at all e&cept on ma!be the melod!+ but as far as the solo+ no accompaniment$22

Coltrane greatl! admired ?olph!+ "hose quir#! st!le "as in star# contrast to

the st!le of ?ais$ ?olph! toured :urope and recorded regularl! "ith the Coltrane

Guartet in the earl! 8Es$ ?istinct qualities of ?olph!6s sound are his use of

e&treme interalic melodic leaps+ quarter tones+ speech li#e phrases+ original timbres+

and his unique melodic and harmonic conception$

The "orldmusic influences in Coltrane6s "or# are man!$ 7orter points out

that in most cases Coltrane6s lic#s are not traceable to the influences that helped

create them$ He goes on to sa!;

<'ne "a! that Coltrane deeloped this unique sound "orld is b! bringing into his music and through his influence+ into all of a>> and be!ond an eclectic collection of method boo#s+ e&ercises+ and scales from aroundthe "orld$ The eclecticism gae his st!le originalit! the more "idespreadone@s sources+ the less one sounds li#e an! one of them$23

/rom "estern music he endorsed+ b! thorough use+ the Slomins)y Thesaurus

of elodic Patterns and Scales+ "ritten in 4=$

7orter points out that Coltrane6s broader mission "as to discoer the

uniersalities in music$ His interest coered scales and modes from *ndia+ Algeria+

China+ 1apan+ and the Middle :ast$ He "as er! much influenced b! African and

*ndian music+ using drones and pedal point passages in a large portion of his "or#$

He studied fol#loric African recordings and recordings of Michael Babatunde

'latuni+ the 0igerian drummer$ This influence can be heard in his use of ostinatos+

"hereb! each instrument is gien its o"n rh!thm$

22 7orter 2E3$

237orter 28$

22



?om Cerulli+ in the notes to AfricaNBrass (8)+ described the "a! he

prepared for these sessions;

He listened to man! African records for rh!thmic inspiration+ 'ne had

a bass line li#e a chant+ and the group used it+ "or#ing it into different tunes$*n -os Angeles+ 1ohn hit on using African rh!thms instead of s"ing st!leI4N4+ and the "or# began to ta#e shape$ He "anted to concentrate more onmelod!+ and the rh!thm "as often his starting point$ So Coltrane loo#ed for "a!s to thic#en the rh!thmic te&ture of his music een as he simplified itsharmonic motion b! #eeping to a repeated pedal point$ He said in 84+ L*feel that since "e hae used fe"er chordal progressions+ "e need morerh!thm+ and * "ant to e&periment$

* hae an African record at home and the!@re singing these rh!thms+some of their natie rh!thms+ so * too# part of it and gae it to the bass$ And:lin pla!s a part and McCo! managed to find something to pla!+ some #ind

of chords$ * didn@t tell him "hat chords+ * said+ P*@m through "ith it$@ And sohe@s on his o"n+ and *@m going on m! o"n+ seeQ$$$Still no melod!+ though$-aughsI * had to ma#e the melod! as * "ent along$ But at least *@m tr!ingto thin# of a melod!F *@m not referring to the chords to get the melod!$24

7orter mentions that <$$$African structural concepts ma! hae influenced him

too %est African drumming groups "ill repeat one section until the leader gies a

cue to go onto the ne&t+ much as Coltrane does in <M! /aorite Things< 'ctober

8EI<$25

The influence of *ndian music is clear in pieces such as <*ndia< (8)+ a chant

that remains constantl! on , pedal point$ 7orter posits the influence of the 0orth

*ndian st!le of sitar improisation+ also <$$$perhaps in the "a! he li#es to repeat and

deelop short moties in his improisations$<2( This is arguable$ Since the

publication of 7orter6s "or#+ 7utschgl has made an anal!sis of the st!listic

characteristics of the American Afrooral tradition$ Since the appearance of

7utschgl6s "or#+ it seems li#el! that Coltrane6s t!pical forms of repetition and

24Porter 213.

25Porter 213.

2(Porter 213.

23



deelopment of short moties in his improisations are as much a result of his o"n

Afrooral cultural heritage as the! are a result of influence from other ethnic sources$

Coltrane ac#no"ledged the influence of *ndian music on his "or#+ but it "as

the spirit of the music that he emphasised;

* li#e .ai Shan#ar 2' er! much$ %hen * hear his music+ * "ant tocop! it not note for note of course+ but in his spirit$ %hat brings me closestto .ai is the modal aspect of his art$ Currentl!+ at the particular stage * findm!self in+ * seem to be going through a modal phase$$$$There@s a lot of modalmusic that is pla!ed eer! da! throughout the "orld$ *t@s particularl! eidentin Africa+ but if !ou loo# at Spain or Scotland+ *ndia or China+ !ou@ll discoer this again in each case$ *f !ou "ant to loo# be!ond the differences in st!le+!ou "ill confirm that there is a common base$ That@s er! important$Certainl!+ the popular music of :ngland is not that of South America+ but ta#ea"a! their purel! ethnic characteristics that is+ their fol#loric aspect and!ou@ll discoer the presence of the same pentatonic sonorit!$ *t@s thisuniersal aspect of music that interests me and attracts meF that@s "hat *@maiming for$<2

Coltrane "as searching for no less than the elements that constitute a

transforming po"er in music$

*@e alread! been loo#ing into those approaches to music as in *ndia in "hich particular sounds and scales are intended to produce specificemotional meanings$$$ * "ould li#e to bring to people something li#ehappiness$ * "ould li#e to discoer a method so that if * "ant it to rain+ it "illstart right a"a! to rain$ *f one of m! friends is ill+ *@d li#e to pla! a certainsong and he "ill be curedF "hen he@d be bro#e+ *@d bring out a different songand immediatel! he@d receie all the mone! he needed$ But "hat are these pieces and "hat is the road to trael to attain a #no"ledge of them+ that *don@t #no"$2&

Throughout Coltrane6s modal period+ the underlining melodic and harmonic

structure of his music is that of fourth based moties$ This contrasts "ith most a>>

and %estern music in general+ "hich builds on a basic structure of maor and minor

2'$orth Bndian sitar Airtuoso.

27orter 2$

2&7orter 23$

24



chords$ 7orter obseres that <This gies his music a serious+ rather abstract sound

and $$$ it probabl! contributes to the spiritual element in his music$<3/ This pentatonic

sonorit!+ "hich Coltrane detected as the common base beneath the ethnic differences

of much fol# music "orld"ide+ can also be found in the Afrochristian chanted

sermon$ /ourths are also+ of course+ a basis of the blues$ As 7orter sa!s; <That

mi&ture of intense blues and spiritual ferour gies his music astounding po"er<31

7orter goes on to ma#e a #e! obseration+ "hich "as later to be ta#en up and

e&plored so aluabl! b! 7utschgl; <The "a! he builds his solos b! deeloping short

ideas at length+ repeating them in different registers and building up to higher and

higher notes+ ma#es him a preacher on the sa&ophone$<32

Coltrane6s music has been influenced b! an e&ceptional number of sources$

7articularl! stri#ing is the connection bet"een characteristics of Coltrane6s modal

music and those of the American blac# preaching formulae+ "ith roots in the Afro

oral tradition$ *t is perhaps because Coltrane6s improisational inspiration is deried

in essence from fol# roots that his sound has such enduring italit!$

3/Porter 21'.

31Porter 21'.

32Porter 21'.

25



Chapter .

Coltrane6s Music from 5 to 84

There are three periods in Coltrane6s music$ The bebop period from 54 to

5 "as follo"ed b! his modal period+ from around 58E until 85$ His last

brief period from the end of 85 until his death in 8= has been less rerearched$ *t

is termed 6post modal6 in this paper for the sa#e of conenience+ but the term is not

necessaril! definitie$

T"o maor corner stones of a>> "ere recorded t"o months apart at the

beginning of 5$ The! "ere Kind of Blue and Giant Steps$

*n /ebruar!+ ?ais recorded Kind (f Blue$ ?ais arried at the recording

session "ith little motiic s#etches of compositions "ith simplified melodies and

chord progressions$ (This "as a fresh approach "hich influenced Coltrane6s later

recording sessions "ith his o"n groups)$ The three horn pla!ers approached this

recording differentl!$ Cannonball Adderl!+ on alto sa&ophone+ soloed in his <hard

bop< melodic st!le+ at times impl!ing bebop chord changes that "ere not being

pla!ed b! the rh!thm section$ ?ais had his refined+ dr!+ tone and melodic phrasing$

Coltrane pla!ed his sheets of sound "ith dominating coniction of e&ecution$ His

pla!ing had harddriing s"ing "ith a solidit! unli#e the bounciness of Cannonball$

2(



His melodic direction "as unsha#eable "ith occasional+ cute+ rasp! notes from

alternate fingerings+ usuall! on an off beat to"ards the end of a phrase$ -i#e

Cannonball+ Coltrane "ould impl! chord changes but in a different "a!F in more of a

Llate bop ernacular$

*n April 5 Coltrane recorded Giant Steps He had deeloped a chord

sequence pattern "hich he used in different "a!s and in ar!ing degrees of intensit!$

The title trac#+ L,iant Steps+ is a a>> student6s stud! legac!$ *t embodied Coltrane@s

chordal ferris "heel+ moing quic#l! through three different equidistant tonal centres;

B+ ,+ and :b$ This is an interesting "a! of "inding bac# harmonic resolution$ B

maor+ ? dominant = N, manor+ B flat dominant = N:b$$$NA minor =+ ? dominant = N,

maor =+ B flat dominant = N:b maor+ / sharp dominant = NB maor$$$

7orter gies us Coltrane6s "ords on the subect;

<At first * "asn6t sure+ because * "as deling into sequences+ and * feltthat * should hae the rh!thm section pla! the sequences right along "ith me+and "e all go do"n this "inding road$ But after seeral tries and failures atthis+ it seemed better to hae them go free as free as possible$ And then !ousuperimpose "hateer sequences !ou "ant to oer them$<33

His rh!thm section pla!ed modall!+ through "hich he "ould sometimes impl!

,iant Steps chord changes in his improisations$

Kind of Blue "as the first prominent modal a>> album$ Giant Steps could be

characterised as the final deelopment of bebop$

Coltrane@s most famous modal composition is L*mpressions "hich "as first

recorded in 8E$ *t is based on the same 32 bar form as LSo %hat from the album+

Kind of Blue; AABA$ The A section is in ? minor and the B section is in :b minor$

This is a basic concept of modal a>>F using one chordNscale+ usuall! of a minor

tonalit!+ for "hole sections of music$ Bebop had chords changing eer! bar or t"o

33Porter 1('.

2'



and usuall! t"ice in one bar$ Melodic naigation through the eer changing chord

related scales of bebop requires of the improiser a er! different conceptual

approach from that required b! modal a>>$

These t"o contrasting tonal approaches fuelled Coltrane6s deelopment

through the earl! 8Es; The quic#l! changing harmonic structure li#e that of L,iant

Steps "hich he used in his melodic lines+ and the slo"l! changing harmonic

structure such as he used inL*mpressions$

The range of his repertoire from this period+ both lie and recorded+ is

discussed in Chapter 2$ Songs from a ariet! of genres "ere reitalised b! Coltrane6s

treatment$ Through 7utschgl6s deconstruction of the final recordings of <Mr 7C<

and <Traning *n< from 'ctober and 0oember of 83+ he demonstrates the stri#ing

ariet! of innoatie "a!s in "hich Coltrane6s modal st!le of pla!ing reitalised the

blues form$ The blues oicesequence becomes a central principle of melodic

stucture in Coltrane6s modal treatments+ and he returned the blues from the

characteristic maorchord implications of the bebop st!le to its modal origins in

reanimated form$

Modal a>> "as a radical ne" departure in that the motiic formula replaced

the chord sequence as the maor structural deice$ %ithin this ne" open modal st!le

of pla!ing Coltrane used identifiable structural techniques both in the oerall form of

his solos and also in the actual melodic phrases$ These techniques hae been

thoroughl! anal!sed b! 7utschgl and 7orter$ The! obsere that throughout

Coltrane6s modal period+ although he "as al"a!s e&ploring ne" changes and

ariations+ his st!le did not alter in an! radical sense$ His astonishing deelopment of

that time of his most influential music too# place "ithin the basic st!listic confines of

formulaic improisation+ ho"eer far it ma! hae traeled from the formulae of

bebop$

2



7utschgl usefull! anal!ses the characteristics of Coltrane6s structurall!

innoatie melodic lines of this period+ and the "a! in "hich his permutations of

pentatonic scales created ne" melodic combinations of interals$ *n this e&panded

s!stem of pentatonics can be heard the distinctie non"estern melodic influences

discussed in the preious Chapter$ Coltrane incorporated the tripartite diision of the

octae+ as used in <,iant Steps<+ "ith pentatonics+ to create "inding paths of melodic

chromatacism$ The rh!thm section "as free to "ander modall! "hile the third c!cle

ocabular! e&panded melodicall!$

7utschgl coined the phrase <formulaic units< to describe the episodic

patterns that characterise the structure of Coltrane6s modal music$ These units are

formulaic in that the! are defined b! conentional chorus or eight bar parameters$

The! are usuall! either binar! or ternar!F the binar! consisting of contrasting

sections+ and the ternar! consisting of t"o contrasting sections and then a resolution

or clima&$

7utschgl6s "or# is rich in its detailing of the analogous nature of Coltrane6s

structural methods and e&pressie effects to that of the African oral tradition$ /irst;

He describes the blac# sermon principle of ariation and permutation of a basic motif

or idea+ "here aesthetic alue is placed on the s#ill and ariet! of circumlocution$

This principle+ "hich stands in contrast to the %estern linear method of

communication+ is clearl! eident as a means of melodic organisation in Coltrane6s

modal deelopment$

Second; He outlines a principle of controlled d!namic and dramatic increase+

a form of <ecstaticisation<+ designed to stimulate the gro"ing emotional inolement

of the listener$ Techniques include "hat 7utschgl has termed <runningnote stalling<

(the brea#ing up of long notes into repeated or alternating notes+ as 7orter describes

it)+ <glossilalia< (spea#ing in tongues or <false fingering< in 7orter6s terminolog!)+ and

2&



<screaming<+ <hon#ing<+ and <>ooning< at the e&tremes of register$ *ntensit! of

e&pressie gesture and e&treme sonic ariation are hallmar#s of Coltrane6s oice$

The modal st!le of a>> "ith its reduced use of chordal progressions allo"ed

comple& rh!mic te&ture to ta#e a more predominant role in the music$ 7utschgl

aptl! ac#no"ledges the importance of 1ones+ particularl! the strong d!namic

significance and e&pressie po"er of his characteristic ternar! groupings "ithin his

as!metrical forms of moement$ This st!le of drumming gae Coltrane ma&imum

fle&ibilit! and support$ *n an interie" in 83+ Coltrane comments on the d!namics

of the rh!thm section;

*t is necessar! to hae a firm beat going+ (but) it6s not necessar! tohae eer!one pla!ing 4N4+ * mean rigidl!$ Bet"een the three man or the t"oman pianolessI rh!thm section+ there should be enough interpla! to gie !ouat eer! point of the song the same solidarit! that !ou get in 4N4+ but it "ill beimplied sometimes instead of actuall! pla!ed$ 0o" this thing+ it can be doneand sometimes it is done but it has to be the right combination of indiiduals pla!ing$ The! hae to reall! feel this "a!+ and the! hae to hae er! goodsounds$ The! hae to be able to produce good qualit! sound on theinstrument so "hen the! do pla!+ "hat the! pla! "ill sustain and thus createthis leel of samenessI underneath+ although it "ill be bro#en actuall! as it6s pla!ed$34

34Porter 214.

3/



Chapter /

The /inal9ear of Coltrane6s Modal 7eriod+

Three Musical :&amples;

<Ac#no"ledgement<

<Bra>ilia<

<Transition<

This chapter inestigates Coltrane6s modal st!le in its final phase+ from

0oember 84 to ?ecember 85$ This is done through the anal!sis of three

e&amples$ The chronolog! of the large number of recordings made of Coltrane

during the period can be found in Appendi& B$

<Ac#no"ledgement<

The first piece of music to be discussed is <Ac#no"ledgement<+ recorded on

?ecember 84$ *t is the first part of the four part suit+ A Love Supreme+ "hich is

Coltrane6s most famous album and has sold oer a million copies$ Man! non a>>

fans bought the album because of its strong spiritual statement$

Coltrane "rote the liner notes for the album and decided on the isual la! out+

selecting serious images of himself$ 'f special note is the pra!er he "rote "hich is

included on the inside of the folding coer$ *t is a pra!er of praise to ,od$

31



Both 7orter and 7utschgl comment on the similarities bet"een the idioms of

the blac# American preacher tradition and that of Coltrane6s 6sermonesque6 cries on

his sa&ophone$ -istening to <7salm<+ one can read Coltrane6s pra!er along "ith his

improisation$ *t seems clear that Coltrane6s conscious intention "as to sing this

pra!er on his instrument$ *t is interesting to note+ ho"eer+ that in an interie"+ :lin

1ones remar#ed that at the time of the performance+ he (1ones) "as una"are of this$

?id Coltrane tell the quartet of his intentionsQ *f not+ "h! notQ The poem ma! hae

been "ritten after the performance but regardless of "hether the poem or the suite

"as conceied first+ both are Coltrane6s compositions$ He made it clear+ b!

publishing the poem inside the coer of the album+ that both are intended to e&press

the same message$

*n order to nurture spontaneit!+ Coltrane gae er! little information to his

group$ He introduced them to the music at the recording session "here the! pla!ed

it for the first time$

7orter obseres that <The four sections of A Love Supreme+

LAc#no"ledgement+ L.esolution+ L7ursuance+ and L7salm+ suggest a #ind of

pilgrim@s progress+ in "hich the pilgrim ac#no"ledges the diine+ resoles to pursue

it+ searches+ and + eentuall!+ celebrates "hat has been attained in song$< 35

The metricall! free flo"ing structure of <7salm< indicates the direction of his

later deelopment$ The other moements6 metric orientation is similar to the

established Coltrane sound$

The beautiful eolution of the suite gro"s from a strong and simple musical

cell$

B : /R cell a

35Porter 23(

32



then / "hich adds :b to the deelopment and thus completes the blues scale$ 'n the

t"elfth bar of Coltrane6s solo ,arrison climbs up to a repeated quaer :b figure in an

empathetic cr!$

There is no set chord progression used in <Ac#no"ledgment<$ ,arrison and

T!ner follo" Coltrane as he moes into different tonal areas a quarter of the "a!

through his solo$ The oerall tonal centre of / minor+ ho"eer+ remains throughout$

7orter has it that Coltrane said that Lthe first part is not composed of a fi&ed number

of measures$3( After the first si&teen bars of Coltrane6s solo+ the strictness of eight or

si&teen bar sounding sections dissipates$ *mmediatel! before Coltrane enters+ 1ones

starts to use semi quaers "hich propel the music "ith their s!ncopation and

continue throughout Coltrane6s solo$ 1ones+ often oined b! T!ner+ accents the first

beat of eer! bar+ grounding the music$

*n the 35th bar of his solo Coltrane starts transposing cell b into different

#e!s+ #eeping it in its basic form$ B! the 8Eth bar he has pla!ed the cell in eleen

#e!s$ At bar 8 Coltrane pla!s cell b in its final transposition+ repeating it fie times$

Although 7orter obseres Coltrane6s final modulation of the cell into the t"ele #e!s+

he does not mention this first <pantonal< deelopment$

*n bet"een the deeloping cell fragments Coltrane pla!s man! s"eeping+

s"elling flurries+ thirteen of "hich are semi quaer quintuplets$ At bar 2 Coltrane

uses ? natural for the first time as part of the / minor tonalit!$ This lift from aeolian

to dorian occurs ust before Coltrane6s final cell b ostinato$

At the th bar of his solo Coltrane pla!s the cell b ostinato figure in its

original #e!+ in unison "ith ,arrison$ /or the ne&t 38 bars until the end of his

improisation+ Coltrane repeats cell b eer! bar in the same rh!thm+ pla!ing it in

eer! #e!$ He ends b! repeating the cell in unison "ith ,arrison eight times$ *t is at

3(Porter 23=$

34



this point that the chant+ <A -oe Supreme<+ begins+ sung b! Coltrane and another+

possibl! ,arrison$ Coltrane6s structural method no" becomes clear$

<%e realise that this "as the goal to"ard "hich Coltrane directed his solo$

He brilliantl! e&ecuted a reerse deelopment+ saing the e&position $$$ for the end$

He@s telling us that ,od is eer!"here in eer! register+ in eer! #e! and he@s

sho"ing us that !ou hae to discoer religious belief $$$(that) the listener has to

e&perience the process and then the listener is read! to hear the chant$ As "e listen

to the music+ its meaning unfolds for us$<3'

1a>> improisation in music is analogous to the e&periential rather than the

doctrinal approach in religion$ 7erhaps this "as part of the reason "h! Coltrane did

not tell his band about the underl!ing inspiration of the suite6s conception$ He "as

preparing a space of receptiit! in the hearts of his sidemen and listeners ali#e$

<Bra>ilia<

<Bra>ilia< is the longest trac# on the album+ <The John Coltrane Quartet

Plays$ *t "as recorded on = Ma! 85+ fie months after the recording of A Love

Supreme Coltrane6s st!le deeloped considerabl! during these interening months$

*n <Bra>ilia< "e find the beginnings of Coltrane6s moe into his postmodal

period$ There is continuing deelopment of modal ocabular! and this is mar#ed b!

increased motiic and paraphrastic ariation$ The improisator! settings are less

delineated b! harmonic preconceptions$ At this crossoer point bet"een Coltrane6s

modal and postmodal periods+ the eight bar or startofchorus signposts appear to

dissole$

<Bra>ilia< combines the use of metricall! free sections "ith quarter time+ four

beat s"ing feel$ *t deelops further the loose adherence to a minor tonalit!

foundation that can be heard in <Ac#no"ledgment<$ The theme+ an ABA form+ is

3'Porter 242.

35



based on t"o different t"eletone passages$ The "or# incorporates pentatonics+

"hole tone scales and deriations of Coltrane6s <,iant Steps< ocabular!$

'nl! the theme and the coda are pla!ed in free meter+ in "hat 7utschgl calls

the <cantillation< st!le$ The deolopment of this free st!le is a basic departure from

the formal rh!thmic conentions of a>>$ 7utschgl locates its origin in the blac#

,ospel solo conentions$ The bod! of the "or#+ "hich is more conentionall!

modal+ consists of improisations in quarter time$

<Bra>ilia< starts "ith a rubato duet bet"een Coltrane and 1ones in "hich

Coltrane pla!s the theme$ As there is no harmonic accompaniment+ Coltrane is free

to pla! the theme as he feels+ shaping the t"eletone ro"s "ith connecting notes

"hich disguise these s#eletel structures$

*t has a structure "hich could be loosel! described as ternar! "ithin ternar!

"ithin ternar!$ The oerall form consists of a sa&ophone solo follo"ed b! a piano

solo follo"ed b! another sa&ophone solo$ :ach t"eletone ro" of the theme is

comprised of three fournote cells$

%ithin the u&taposition of the t"o t"eletone ro"s+ the motion is contrar!

for the first seen pitches+ parallel for the ne&t three+ and contrar! for the last;

dia"ram

Coltrane adds an e&tra final note to the final cell (cell M+ the third cell of the

second t"eletone ro" B)+ "hich creates a fie note cell consisting of the four

smallest interals in our %estern scale$ As a final cell+ it has an apt qualit! of closure

brought about b! the use of smaller and smaller interals$ This is a er! subtle

construct$ There "as an increasing degree of abstraction in the structuring of

3(



Coltrane6s melod! as his modal "or# deeloped$ This tendenc! ma! not hae been

deliberate+ but as Coltane sa!s+ <9ou hae to do a lot of "or# consciousl!+ then !ou

can leae the rest to !our subconscious later on$3

'n the other hand+ perhaps these intricate relationships "ere a conscious

aspect of Coltrane6s composition$ *n the liner notes to <Transition<+ the ne&t piece to

be discussed+ Alice Coltrane is quoted as sa!ing <He "as doing a lot of "riting+ een

more "riting than practicing+ and !ou #no" ho" much time he spent practicing$<3&

%hen the improisations in <Bra>ilia< are anal!sed+ although relationships are less

clearl! eident than the! are in his modal "or# of preious !ears+ there is too much

coherence of structure at all leels for the piece to hae been composed

spontaneousl!$

The theme of Coltrane6s composition <Miles6 Mode<+ recorded in 8+ uses

a strict t"eletone ro" immediatel! follo"ed b! its retrograde+ follo"ed b!

improisations based on the tonalit! of C minor$ *n the improisations in <Bra>ilia<+

the t"ele tone s!stem appears to hae been abandoned again$ The improisations

are loosel! based in :b minor$ %hen as#ed about improising in the t"ele tone

method he said <?amn the rules+ it@s the feeling that counts during improisationI$

9ou pla! all 2 notes in !our solo an!"a!$<4/ There are traceable elements from

Slomins#!6s Thesaurus in the coda$ The length! build up to the conclusion of the

coda alludes again to the ,ospel solo tradition$

<Transition<

3 7orter 2E5$

3&$at Hento 1&'/liner notes to Transition C!.

4/Porter 231.

3'



'f the three pieces discussed in this paper+ <Transition< best illustrates

Coltrane6s use of the declamation st!le of the blac# preacher idiom$+ "here <d!namic

intensification is ino#ed b! the use of paraphrastic repetition$<41

7utschgl argues persuasiel! that <some of the most conincing and

s!stematicall! constructed forms of reappropriation and transfomation of blac# oral

culture can be found in the music of 1ohn Coltrane$<42 He maintains that <the most

authentic forms of significant creatie and e&pressie features of AfroAmerican

performatie culture can be found in the structural sequence of religious rituals$<43

He adds that <the 6chanted sermon6 represents the most s!stematic construction and

the most intense forms of e&pressie and communicatie elements$$$of these

ritualsI$<44

7utschgl refers to the #e! organising deice of the chanted sermon as

<paraphrase ariation<; <the most applied creatie mode in the "hole blac#

"orld$$$<45 and an art form basicall! alien to traditional :urocentric aesthetics$ He

describes it as <a ar!ingrepetitiecircling around a tonal+ rh!thmic or te&tual 6basic

formula6$<4( *t is+ "ithout doubt+ a most highl! regarded artistic abili! "ithin the

culture$

The declamation form of sermon line is a linear shape "here recitation sta!s

mainl! on one note$ The technique of <paraphrase ariation< groups these lines into

larger sections$ These groups deelop through the use of d!namics$ ?!namic

increase occurs both "ithin a number of periods in the sermon and also+ these periods

417utschgl 332$

427utschgl 334$

437utschgl 334$

447utschgl 338$

457utschgl 338$

4(7utschgl 338$

3



themseles build in increasing intensit! to the highl! charged clima&$ This technique

stimulates the full emotional participation of the congregation$

<Transition< has a continuous metrical basis throughout and the theme at the

start and finish is in the phr!gian mode$ *n parts of his improisations Coltrane uses

the a "holetone scale to create sections "hich impl! an ascending melodic minor

scale "ith a flat second$ He uses a great ariet! of melodic fragments in related

groups throughout both of his improisations$ This is one of the recording6s most

noticeable features$ The piece is based on a single scale tonal foundation but

coherence is achieed through the use of episodic sections$ The other noticeable

feature of the piece is the series of "ailing clima&es+ similar to a blac# sermon$ The

note g (t"o octaes aboe middle c)+ at the pea# of these clima&es is sustained and

emphatic$ The structure of his improisations is built around this note$

There are man! pea#s "ithin <Transition< "here Coltrane builds up to

screaming altissimo phrases$ Coltrane pla!s the first improisation+ and then T!ner+

and then Coltrane ta#es a second+ longer solo "here three e&tended clima&es ta#e

place$

Chants of blac# sermons use a modal scale and <Transition< is rooted in a ?

minor tonalit!$ Coltrane emphasises fundamental notes from this tonalit!+ creating

strong structural frame"or#s "hich are interspersed "ith dense chromatic runs and

glossalalic e&pression$ The theme consists of a triple inocation and response

common to liturg!+ based on the form of a 8measure+ modal+ Blues (AAAB)

"ithout harmonic progression+ commonl! called the <Baptist Blues<$

<Transition< is a long piece (5;2D) for a studio recording$ At this stage in his

career+ Coltrane "as "elcomed b! his record compan!+ *mpulseJ+ to ta#e his band

into the recording studio as often as he "ished$ Artisticall!+ he "as in a position to

pla! "hateer he "anted to pla!$ %ithout being familiar "ith Coltrane6s deelopment

up to this time+ it can be hard to appreciate his comple& concepts$ 'nce obsered+

3&



the orienting sermon analog! proides a #e! to realising the maturit! and originalit!

of Coltrane6s artistr!+ both in his reappropriation of this creatie form and in the sheer

beaut! of his phrasing$

Chapter 0

Conclusion

*n reie"+ there are seeral general points to be made;

/irstl!+ "hat can be heard to emerge most distinctl! from the deelopment of

Coltrane6s modal st!le bet"een 8E and 85 is a comprehensie use of traditional

Afrooral creatie conentionsF as thoroughl! elucidated b! 7utschgl$

These are not merel! surface similarities$ Closer and closer scrutin! reeals

more and more that these conentions "ere appropriated and deeloped upon in a

full! conscious+ consistent+ and disciplined mannerF both on the macro and micro

structural leels$ :&amination of the d!namic elements of the "or#s also reeals a

stri#ingl! consistent adherence to the Afrooral conentions$ The e&pressie force of

the "or#s and the s!nerg! created b! the collaboration of the group hae perhaps

become more significant than the formal structure as ehicles for creatie cohesion$

:pisodic sections relate to each other through a controlled and conscious use of the

d!namic ecstaticisation process$

$ Secondl!+ it is remar#able that+ through his modal approach+ Coltrane "as

able to incorporate a ne" and sacred element into a>>$ *n 85 Coltrane6s output

"as dominated b! spiritual themes$ Half of the albums recorded in this period had

spiritual titles$ As this spiritual aspect became more eident+ Coltrane6s st!le became

4/



more radical and "as moing futher from conentional a>>$ He had deeloped a

"hole ne" concept for pla!ing music$

B! the end of 85 1ones and T!ner left the band to continue pla!ing

metricall! oriented music$ Toda! the! are still alie+ pla!ing a>>$ Coltrane "ent on

to e&plore freer and freer forms until his death in 8=$

Thirdl!+ "as it because he had researched so much of the "orlds musicF had

deled into the base roots of the popular music of man! different cultures+ and

assimilated their essential elements so completel! into his conceptual repertoire+ that

his music has such po"er and italit!Q His improisations reeal a ne" t!pe of

episodic manner for creating structure in a>>$ His genius is reealed in the

innoation and sheer ariet! of his melodic lines and his master! of the paraphrastic

art$ Coltrane himself stressed the importance of the common modal base beneath the

ethnic characteristics of music$ *t "as the uniersal aspect of music that interested

him and "hat he "as aiming for$ Coltrane has said of his music; <* "ould li#e to

arrie at the point "here * am able to grasp the essence of a certain place and time+

compose the "or# and pla! it on the spot naturall!$< 4' He ma! not hae achieed his

ambition+ but ultimatel! he transcended all st!les to inent a ne" music$

4'Porter p24D$

41



Appendi1 A

42



Apendi1 2

The chronolog! of recordings made of 1ohn Coltrane during the period from

?ecember 84 to 0oember 85$

A Love Supreme ?ec P84 *mpulseJ ==

!irst editations /eb P85 *mpulseJ ,.7 D2

The John Coltrane Quartet Plays /eb =D+ Ma! = 685 *mpulseJ D5

Transitions 1une P85 *mpulseJ 8

Ascension 1une 2D P85 *mpulseJ 5

#e$ Thin" At #e$ Port 1ul! 2 P85 *mpulseJ 4

Live -n Paris 1ul! P85 Charle! 3=

Anti.es 1ul! 28 P85 Charle! 48

Anti.es / A Love Supreme 1ul!2= P85 Charle! 4

Com.lain La Tour Aug P85 Charle! 8E

Sun Ship Aug 28 P85 *mpulseJ 2

-nfinity Sept 22 *mpulseJ 225

Live -n Seattle Sep 3E *mpulseJ 2E22

(m 'ct *mpulseJ 4E

Kulu Se ama 'ct 4 *mpulseJ E8

editations 0o 23 *mpulseJ E

43



2i"lio(raphy

7orter+ -e"is$ John Coltrane, %is Life and usic$ Ann Arbor; Uniersit! of

Michigan 7ress+ cD$

/uio#a+ 9asuhiro+ -e"is 7orter+ and 9ohichi Hamada$ John Coltrane& A

'isco"raphy and usical Bio"raphy$ Metuchen; Scarecro" 7ress+ 5$

Thomas+ 1$+C$ Chasin+ the Trane$ ,arden Cit!; ?oubleda!+ =5$

Kofs#!+ /ran#$ Blac) #ationalism and the *evolution in usic 0e" 9or#;

7athfinder 7ress+ =E$

,erard+ Charles+ ?$ Ja00 in Blac) and 1hite& race, culture, and identity in the 2a00

community %estport; ,reen"ood 7ress+ D

%einstein+ 0orman C$ A #i"ht in Tunisia& ima"in"s of Africa in 2a00 0e" 9or#;

-imelight+ 3$

.osenthal+ ?aid H$ %ard Bop& 2a00 and Blac) music, 3455/3465 0e" 9or#;

'&ford Uniersit! 7ress+ 2$

-it"eiler+ 1ohn$ The !reedom Principle& 2a00 after 3457$ 0e" 9or#; %$ Morro"+

D4

?ais+ Miles+ and Guinc! Troupe$ iles& the Auto.io"raphy$ 0e" 9or#; Simon

and Schuster+ D$

Berliner+ 7aul$ Thin)in" in Ja008 the -nfinite Art of -mprovisation$ Chicago;

Uniersit! of Chicago 7ress+ 4$

44



7riestl!+ Brian$ John Coltrane$ -ondon; Apollo+ D=$

?'CT'.A- TH:S*S

,erhard 7utschgl+ John Coltrane 9nd 'ie Afroamericanische (raltradition+ 1a>>

/orschung 25 (3)+ ,ra>+ Austria$

T.A0SC*7T*'0S

Andre" %hite6s transcriptions of Coltrane solos$ Andre"6s Music+ 4D3E South

?a#ota Aenue+ 0$:$ %ashington ?$C$ 2EE=

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Di)!o(raphy

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Blue Train$ Blue 0ote+ 5=$

?ais+ Miles$ Kind of Blue$ Columbia+ 5$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Giant Steps$ Atlantic+ 5$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Coltrane+s Sound $ Atlantic+ 8E$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ y !avorite Thin"s$ Atlantic+ 8E$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Coltrane Plays the Blues$ Atlantic+ 8E$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ The Avant/Garde$ Atlantic+ 8E$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Afric:Brass$ *mpulse+ 8$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Live at the ;illa"e ;an"uard $ *mpulse+ 8$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ The <uropean Tour $ 7ablo -ie+ 82$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ 'u)e <llin"ton and John Coltrane$ *mpulse+ 82$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ John Coltrane $ith Johnny %artman$ *mpluse+ 82$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ -mpressions$ *mpulse+ 83$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Crescent $ *mpulse+ 84$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ A Love Supreme$ *mpulse+ 84$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ !irst editations$ *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ The John Coltrane Quartet Plays$ *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Transition *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Ascension *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ #e$ Thin" At #e$ Port *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Live -n Paris Charle!+ 85$

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Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Anti.es Charle!+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Anti.es / A Love Supreme Charle!+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Com.lain La Tour $ Charle!+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Sun Ship *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ -nfinity$ *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Live -n Seattle$ *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ (m *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ Kulu Se ama$ *mpulse+ 85$

Coltrane+ 1ohn$ editations *mpulse+ 85$

Tom Vincent - John Coltrane - Development of the Modal Style

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Transcript of Tom Vincent - John Coltrane - Development of the Modal Style