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Last Updated: May 30th, 2008 - 11:49:13 |
John Coltrane.
The name has become synonymous with with mystery and spirituality and has transcended the art form with which it is associated. In Coltrane: The Story of a Sound, New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff humanizes a near saint, an act that might make even the most tangential Coltrane fan a bit defensive.
Ratliff starts the book with a portrait of a teenage Coltrane and his, at the time, quixotic plans to land recording gigs as a Navy bandsman. The mystical jazz great switched to alto saxophone at age 14 and struggled. Ratliff is so bold as to include accounts from John Coltrane's early contemporaries who describe him as an indistinct musician. Further into the narrative, the characterization sweetens when Ratliff breaks down signature Coltrane compositions, such as "My Favorite Things" and "Naima." Ratliff describes them with such creativity and precision that readers can almost hear the selections on the page.
The Story of a Sound pays special attention to the latter half of Coltrane's career. Ratliff shines the spotlight on every major crossroad in Coltrane's short but compelling life. He is linked to Amiri Baraka and the resistance movements of the Civil Rights Era. The Story of a Sound swings us from Coltrane’s grassroots days with the Melody Master Bands in Oahu, Hawaii to his Lincoln Center concerts. Throughout, he presents little known facts and keen analyses that alter our view of a musical giant.
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