The excitement of Jazz music is the rhythmic quality, harmonization, and, most of all, improvisation. Every Jazz player seeks to master this technique, but it is not a technique that can be taught; it is more of an intuition that comes from somewhere deep inside.
With so many exceptional Jazz musicians to grace the earth, including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and Charlie Park, among others, one name that always resonates with listeners is John Coltrane. Famously recognized as an alto saxophonist, Coltrane also played the clarinet and alto horn and had an uncandid ability to lead any performance. Leading on at least fifty recording sessions in this career while also playing on albums with others like Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, perhaps Coltranes’ most astounding efforts came to be on the 1965 album A Love Supreme.
Recorded by Coltrane weeks before Christmas in December of 1964, the album emerged in January 1965 and swiftly captured audiences. A part of his years with the New York-based Jazz label Impulse! Records, the album stood out boldly because of the unpredictability in each passing note. Looking deeper into it all, as publicly known, Coltrane had significant struggles with drug and alcohol addiction until he fought through agonizing pain to kick the habits for good in the spring of 1957. It was here that he relied heavily on his Christian upbringing, which remained with him for the rest of his life.
Why is this important? It is said that the work Coltrane put into A Love Supreme was significant in his spiritual journey toward reawakening and finding himself once again. Listening to the record without any foreword, you can easily feel the divinity in a little over a half hour of music that boils, simmers, and explodes when least expected.
Free-form, the tone of Coltrane’s playing is buttery smooth. However, at the same time, the distant keys of Pianist McCoy Tyner, the vibrating bass of Jimmy Garrison, and the dazzling drumming of Elvin Jones encapsulate a mood that is magical. It is as if the music is trying to reach something beyond the material world with every bit of human energy possible. Then, taking into consideration and understanding that Coltrane indeed felt a spiritual movement in his heart when performing it, it is all more than just simply a fun listen but a record of purpose.
Truly fascinating, no matter where you stand in your own life, the inspiration to create something so natural without the pretense of structure or commercial marketability, A Love Supreme is one of the most electrifying Jazz records ever recorded. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, there was the Winter Jazzfest, which took place in NYC, where a “Impressions: Improvisatory Interpretations on A Love Supreme” concert took place on January 12th, prior to the re-release of A Love Supreme as a special anniversary vinyl edition on February 7th.
Put out through Impluse! Records, the 60th Anniversary Edition of A Love Supreme is pressed to stunning diamond vinyl. Only available on a limited basis, the album is packed with the original front and back artwork but enchanted with silver embossed titling. Quite beautiful, the record itself has superior sound quality while remaining eye-catching as a collector’s piece with transparent diamond coloring.
Overall, it is a dignified homage to the marvelous A Love Supreme as it turns sixty years old. Simply classy and perfect to play and admire, Cryptic Rock gives the A Love Supreme: 60th Anniversary Edition 5 out of 5 stars.
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