From UrbanHymnsThis week’s selection honors the late, great John Coltrane on what would have been his 100th birthday (September 23, 1926). There simply aren’t enough superlatives I can use to describe ‘A Love Supreme’. For me, it is easily Coltrane’s defining album and one of the greatest artistic achievements of the 20th century. It remains one of the most influential and beautiful recordings ever made, but what makes it so extraordinary is the deeply personal story behind it. (See “The Listening Room” for further discussion)
- Does the chanted vocal moment in Acknowledgement feel powerful or does it pull you out of the instrumental spell?1 reply
- Which movement would you play for a friend who claims they do not get jazz?1 reply
- How does knowing Psalm is a wordless recitation of Coltrane's poem change the way you hear it?1 reply
- Does the album work better as a single 33-minute meditation or as four distinct pieces you can revisit individually?1 reply
- Sixty years on, does the spiritual framing still land for you or does it feel tied to its moment?1 reply
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