A LOVE SUPREME
(Note: we had
permission to print the text during Lent but have had to remove
the text after Lent. Refer to your hymnal for the text.)
John Coltrane’s
seminal 1964 jazz album, “A Love Supreme,” was more than another
in a series of groundbreaking recordings — it was his thank you to
God. It was a suite in four parts — “Acknowledgment,”
“Resolution,” “Pursuance” and “Psalm” — and each is an essential
part of this gift.
“Acknowledgment”
opens with the swoosh of a Chinese gong — a sure sign that this is
no conventional jazz album. After his solo, this section concludes
with Coltrane, or Trane, playing the trademark four-note theme “A
Love Supreme” 37 times in a wide variety of keys. Lewis Porter,
author of “John Coltrane: His Life and Music,” interprets this as
showing that God is present in all keys. This seems reasonable
given Trane’s oft-quoted statement that he believed in all
religions. The movement from the saxophone into a chant draws upon
a method of acknowledging God that has been used for thousands of
years.
“Resolution” is Trane’s musical statement renouncing a “period of irresolution”
during which he was addicted to heroin, alcohol and cigarettes,
all of which he simultaneously kicked cold turkey.
Trane writes that
“No road is an easy one but they all go back to God.” In
“Pursuance” the Coltrane Quartet pursues many innovative roads
with tremendous energy and innovation, drawing inspiration from
each other and spurring each other on — the essence of jazz.
“Psalm” concludes
this musical masterpiece by uniting poetry and music with Trane’s
musical narration of the text he wrote for this album. As many
times as I have listened to “A Love Supreme,” I gained newfound
understanding when I simultaneously read along with the text,
noting the ad-libs identified by Porter.
“May we never
forget that in the sunshine of our lives, through the storm and
after the rain
– it is all
with God — in all ways and forever.”
(John Coltrane,
liner notes, “A Love Supreme,” originally recorded 1964, released
by Impulse Records.)
Ted Vlamis
