Experiencing Jazz

Back in the 1970s, Vol. 126 of the French RCA Black and White series focused on Thomas Morris' recordings dating from the year 1926. Included on that album were two vocalists whose absence from this Classics package must be attributed to a planned compilation of rare vocal recordings from this period. While Margaret Johnson's "When a 'Gator Hollers, Folks Say It's a Sign of Rain" would have added a Ma Rainey touch, the non-inclusion of Evelyn Preer's "Make Me Know It," recorded September 7, 1926, is heartbreaking but only to the few who know of the existence of this beautifully wistful love song…

Coleman Hawkins was the first important tenor saxophonist and he remains one of the greatest of all time. A consistently modern improviser whose knowledge of chords and harmonies was encyclopedic, Hawkins had a 40-year prime (1925-1965) during which he could hold his own with any competitor…

How does music reflect the times we live in directly or indirectly? They say “Music is a healing force”. Well, the music of my first professional band, The Collective, had a lot to heal for the world of 1971. The times were a’changing! The Vietnam War was raging and on May 4, 1970, four Kent State University students (down the road from Antioch College and the home base of The Collective) were killed and nine injured when members of the Ohio National Guard opened fire during a demonstration protesting the Vietnam War. It was barely 3 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Black Panthers Mark Clark and Fred Hampton were gunned down in Chicago on December 4, 1969. All this was happening when I thought to form The Collective in collaboration with Antioch music professor Lester Knibbs and my future wife Margaux Simmons.

John Coltrane - Live In Comblain-la-Tour 1965 (1992) {Landscape LS2-922}
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© 1965, 1992 Landscape / Esoldun | LS2-922
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone

The mere mention of the name John Coltrane provokes a deeply emotional, even spiritual, reaction even among Sunday jazz fans. Dexter Gordon was a fantastic saxophonist. Miles Davis was a genius. But Coltrane was even more: a visionary, a demi-god. Compared to the majority of jazz musicians, Coltrane's life has been flatly uneventful. Of course, he was a heroin addict for a while and was beaten up by Miles Davis, but after experiencing the "spiritual awakening" described in the cover of his album A Love Supreme (1965), Coltrane devoted himself to music with stubborn determination.