27.05.1999

Human affirmation

Phil Watson reviews 'A love supreme' by John Coltrane (Impulse CD)

Considering that it was originally released in 1964, it might seem an odd decision to review this record now. There again the influence and popularity of A love supreme never seems to wane, having become Coltrane’s defining moment and one of the biggest selling jazz releases in history.

One could go deeper and pose that A love supreme has a mystique unrivalled in the canon of 20th century jazz, familiarised by its first movement - ‘Acknowledgement’ - with Jimmy Garrison’s hypnotic bass line and the mantra-like chant at the climax. This sense of aura partly emanates from the lush textures of its composition. However, it is also a deeply personal recording.

In the liner notes, Coltrane recalls: “During the year 1957, I experienced, by the grace of god, a spiritual awakening which was to lead me to a richer, fuller, more productive life.” A love supreme is essentially Coltrane’s reflection on the manner in which he sees god working through others. One does not have to share Coltrane’s belief to be affected by the sense of directness and purpose with which he infuses his artistic creation and our reaction to it. A love supreme is an intensely human artefact, mediated precisely by the very particular ideological form in which it is conveyed. It is this ideological formation that forms the crux of Coltrane’s masterpiece.

‘Acknowledgement’ is framed by an atmosphere of sobriety. In contrast the dominant impression of the middle sections - ‘Resolution’ and ‘Pursuance’ - is of Coltrane’s taut tenor sax and pianist McCoy Tyner’s jewelled dexterity. Coltrane and Tyner modify the hushed tones of the opening into something more muscular and energetic. By the fourth movement - ‘Psalm’- Coltrane’s saxophone slides once more into a meditative tone, underpinned by rumbling drums and bass which solemnly take over and fade off into the middle distance as the piece ends.

The compositional structure of A love supreme is thus moulded by the didactic purpose of its author. In the liner notes Coltrane’s cardinal motif is one of humility in the face of an omnipotent god, something which appears to lead directly to the sombre beauty of the work’s thematic frame. We therefore come away questioning the simple humanity that Coltrane apparently affirms.

Only a very few artists have grasped these contradictions with the skill and poise of John Coltrane. Therein lies the secret of A love Supreme’s continuing and justified influence.

Phil Watson