John Coltrane

[AShadeOfClear]

I heard a Coltrane song in jazz history class. He was playing as he could and was cramming in as many notes as possible. It didn't sound too musical, it sounded like he was on crack. Anybody know this song?

 

[EdipisReks]

coltrane did a lot of avant garde jazz. i think more info would be needed to pinpoint an individual song.

 

[Fausto]

Likely a song from Giant Steps

Most jazz fans think he wrote that album to challenge himself. Check out "Coltrane Plays the Blues" for something a tad more approachable.

Fausto

 

[HansBbans]

it also could have been a love supreme

 

[Schadenfreude]

On a "I'm still up at 2AM so I can be incoherent" note, his stuff is great.😀 Just thought you'd like to know . . ..

 

[SludgeFactory]

Originally posted by: AShadeOfClear
I heard a Coltrane song in jazz history class. He was playing as he could and was cramming in as many notes as possible. It didn't sound too musical, it sounded like he was on crack. Anybody know this song?

If it was very difficult to listen to and not musical in the traditional sense, I would guess that it's from late in his career, mid to late 60's. He was always good at cramming a lot of notes in, but it became atonal and dissonant as he went into free jazz. Your professor may have been trying to freak you out. 😀

As much as I like his hard bop music (Giant Steps, My Favorite Things, Blue Train, etc.), I have a hard time with the later avant-garde stuff he did. He kind of lost me when he ascended to that higher plane -- maybe some day I'll understand it.

My favorite is A Love Supreme, it's hard to explain how good it is. I've never heard anyone's soul come through an instrument like that, it's amazing.

 

[yakko]

I don't know what song it is but I like Coltrane's work. He did a lot of great stuff.