Music Monday: Coltrane

It goes without saying that this week, we celebrate John Coltrane on his centennial. One thing that commentators have been noting is how diverse his output is during his solo career. Over about a decade, he produced albums that literally transformed free and avant-garde music and recordings that dug deep into hard bop, modal, and bluesy traditions. In some cases, such as Ballads (1963) critics alleged that Coltrane succumbed to pressure from record labels, in this case Impulse!, to produce commercially viable recordings. The recording featured his working quartet of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison (with Reggie Workman appearing on a few tracks), and Elvin Jones. It’s a fantastic window into Coltrane’s subtlety and tone and McCoy Tyner is on point! Contemporary with Ballads, is the album Coltrane (1962) performed with the same ensemble. Coltrane is modal music and one can begin to detect the sound that would emerge in full form on Love Supreme. For example, I love the track “Tunji” (and…

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