Author: Bill Cole
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Year Published: 2001
Format / Pages: / 280 pages
Review: John Coltrane Biography is
Interesting but Problematic
"There are two things in
particular that I would like to get at in this book: John Coltrane as a
musician, and John Coltrane as a religious person. And both of these aspects are
bound up with his being African-American."
So Bill Cole begins his
affectionate biography, and so continues ad infinitum. This is the pedantic,
preconceived grid through which every fact of Coltrane's life must pass. John
Coltrane as an African-American musician is well understood, so Cole spends most
of his time defending a religious correlation between Coltrane and Professor
Fela Sowande, a Nigerian spiritual teacher. This is an interesting angle, but in
the end the exact nature of that correlation--or even its existence--remains
unclear. Yes, Trane's music is spiritual, and yes, there is such a thing as
African spirituality, but what does one have to do with the other?
Bill Cole, Professor Emeritus of
music at Dartmouth College and author of a well-respected Miles Davis biography,
was also a dedicated jazz fan in the right places at the right times. As a
personal acquaintance of Trane and first-person ear-witness of his legendary
music, Cole's words carry more weight than they might otherwise. The text is
generously supplemented with photographs, quotes, commentaries, even music
transcriptions in the original Bb (perfect for students on tenor sax or
trumpet.) Ironically, even this abundance of reference material doesn't quite
drive Cole's hypothesis home.
John Coltrane by Bill Cole
was originally published in 1976, but is now reissued by Da Capa Press to
commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trane's birth. In the preface, Cole
acknowledges the book was adapted from his doctoral dissertation. As such, the
narrative flow is at times awkward and overstated. Where he succeeds, however,
he succeeds mightily. There are tales and tidbits that even a Coltrane
completist may never have heard before.
As a young man, Coltrane played
in the Joe Webb Blues Band. Cole suggests the female singer Big Maybelle was the
inspiration for Trane's way of "vocalizing" the tenor sax. Shortly thereafter,
he picked up more wizardry modeling Earl Bostic in his band, as well as Eric
Dolphy who remained a lifelong collaborator. Other influential band mates at the
time include fine hard-bop trumpeter Tommy Turrentine, lyrical sax man Johnny
Hodges, and of course Miles Davis.
Some readers will discover
little-known recording sessions such as "Tenor Madness" with Sonny Rollins, made
shortly before he replaced Trane in Miles' band. Cole remembers Trane and
Clifford Brown playing together around the Philadelphia scene before Brown's
tragic early death. He predicts that a bootleg tape will someday emerge.
In one passage, Cole eloquently
debunks the theory that Coltrane was simply a skilled technician:
"It is futile…to look for the
explanation of Trane's music in his technique, although without that technique
he could never have become the master musician that he was. The technique is the
container of something else, and it
is not to be confused with what it in fact contains."
The role Coltrane played within
the broad concept of jazz has never been stated as perceptively as follows:
"Jazz has always been a people's
art-form. It has always been accessible to those who want to play it. It is a
music of choices, and through a complex code communicates the spirit of the
times. In the hands of a player like John Coltrane it prophesies the future. It
has endured in spite of attempts to prostitute it or to redefine it out of
existence. It has endured in spite of the fact that its leading exponents have
far too often had short lives. It emerged out of the profanity of the brothels
into the spiritually profound reality of the art of John Coltrane."
John Coltrane was certainly a man
brimming with musical and religious influences. African heritage and the symbols
it represents were central to his identity, but it would be an injustice to
ignore his other attributes. Many view him as a one-man-movement who pre-dated
so many advancements for Civil Rights. Cole's African argument certainly rings
true with the following analogy:
"…Trane as a musician is perhaps
best typified by the 'griot' or professional musician of West Africa. They both
are living archives of the people's traditions; and because they both have great
insight and wisdom, they are often feared by the people because they have so
many secrets. It also is quite interesting that the griot, by and large,
emanates from the lower classes or castes of his tribe and that he is employed
at all levels of society—from the musicians who operate with the chiefs to the
ones who play on the village streets. The transference of this concept to
American jazz, and to John Coltrane specifically, is more than just an idle
thought."
Cole rightly compares him to
Moses who died before entering the promised land. He imagines this as Africa,
but what if the promised land was really peace, or equality, or perfect Harmony?
From this spiritual point of view, Coltrane has entered into the Promised Land.
Cole apparently believes John
Coltrane's African DNA and vague African concepts drove everything he did. If
this were so, why didn't Trane say so himself? And if you take that argument to
its logical conclusion, every religious black man should be a jazz genius. If he
was really so all-consumed with Africa, how do you explain his frequent
references to Christianity, Islam, Astrology, and Eastern religions? Isn't it
true Coltrane grew up under the specific teachings of two Methodist Preacher
grandfathers and a devout mother, and spent countless hours practicing his horn
in a neighboring church? Wouldn't these specific factors affect his religious
world-view at least as much as some mystical inheritance? Who was the official
reader for this doctoral dissertation, Sowande himself?
Some readers say Cole made Trane
into what he wanted him to be, asserting his own spiritual beliefs upon someone
else's sacred works. We're all guilty of this to a degree. After all, Trane
chose to speak almost exclusively through his horn, leaving the interpretation
up to the listener. Even so, Cole seemingly failed to take into consideration
the most important personal aspects
of spirituality: unique gifting, revelation, and relationship. Trane's music did
not exist in a vacuum, rather it was a natural spilling-over of his faith in a
personal power, a cosmic call-and-response, a living well. Yes, Cole was present
at Trane's creation--today's readers were not--but perhaps the grand
significance of Trane's music is more discernible at a distance.
Despite
these critiques, Bill Cole wrote an intelligent and interesting book, containing
many anecdotes and insights not found elsewhere. Even if you disagree with his
conclusions, he gives you plenty to think about. John Coltrane fans are indebted
to Da Capo Press for keeping this important source-text in print.
Other recommended Coltrane
reading:
John Coltrane by Lewis
Porter
Ascension: John Coltrane and
His Quest by Eric Nisenson
Love Supreme: The Story of
John Coltrane's Signature Album by Ashley Kahn
Chasin' the Trane: The Music
and Mystique of John Coltrane by J. C. Thomas
-David Seymour is a jazz
journalist in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
Additional Information: Check it out @ Amazon.com
ISBN: 030681062X
Reviewed by: David Seymour