A Lark Ascending Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 (edited) And on BBC1 too! Imagine... Wed 16 Jun, 10:35 pm - 11:15 pm 40mins Saint John Coltrane On the 40th anniversary of John Coltrane's most famous record, A Love Supreme, Alan Yentob examines the life and work of the legendary jazz saxophonist, whose obsession with music is matched by an equally obsessive following all over the world. You can then flip to BBC4 at 11.15 for: Coltrane: Sounds of Jazz A rare chance to see this classic 1959 US TV Jazz performance featuring Miles Davis, the Gil Evans Orchestra and the legendary John Coltrane. All at the top of their game at this point in their careers, they perform So What, The Duke and Blues for Pablo. Wed 16 Jun, 23:15-23:40 25mins Stereo Widescreen Edited June 10, 2004 by Bev Stapleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 On BBC1 too . No doubt programmed right after 'Only Fools and Horses' or some other dross... Still - mustn't complain.. looks good ! B) Thank goodness I got my Freeview box in for BBC4 - well worth the $ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 I saw the advert last night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Weil Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 (edited) I've certainly seen Yentob at one Jazz concert - and this is his show, so I guess that's how it gets on at this hour and on BBC1. It'll be interesting to see his take. Simon Weil Edit: I'm wondering about this: Alan Yentob examines the life and work of the legendary jazz saxophonist, whose obsession with music is matched by an equally obsessive following all over the world. What sort of angles is he going to come up with to do with obsession? Edited June 10, 2004 by Simon Weil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Hawkins Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Gordon Bennett - BBC 1??? p.s. that's not a complaint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 Alan Yentob examines the life and work of the legendary jazz saxophonist, whose obsession with music is matched by an equally obsessive following all over the world. What sort of angles is he going to come up with to do with obsession? I'd imagine we'll get the Church of John Coltrane thing. Jazz fanaticism is ripe for a bit of fun-making just like train-spotting. Some listeners obsessions with their heroes can get well out of proportion. Let's just hope that he can say something interesting and positive rather than turning it into another reality TV show about peculiar people (The man with ten thousand Coltrane records instead of the man with ten thousand Elvis suits!). I'm not holding my breath, however! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Weil Posted June 10, 2004 Report Share Posted June 10, 2004 (edited) Alan Yentob examines the life and work of the legendary jazz saxophonist, whose obsession with music is matched by an equally obsessive following all over the world. What sort of angles is he going to come up with to do with obsession? I'd imagine we'll get the Church of John Coltrane thing. Jazz fanaticism is ripe for a bit of fun-making just like train-spotting. Some listeners obsessions with their heroes can get well out of proportion. Let's just hope that he can say something interesting and positive rather than turning it into another reality TV show about peculiar people (The man with ten thousand Coltrane records instead of the man with ten thousand Elvis suits!). I'm not holding my breath, however! I think "interesting and positive" is what I'm hoping for. In general Yentob's done things (or been associated with things) that have taken a kind of strange-but-positive angle on pop artifacts or popular culture (I remember that program on "My Way", for example). The stuff about "the following" goes to a popular culture rather than an art thing. Simon Weil [Edit: I'm just hoping he doesn't end up patronising Jazzers in some way.] Edited June 10, 2004 by Simon Weil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 From today's Guardian Trane spotting An hour-long documentary about John Coltrane and A Love Supreme: that beats MTV any day John L Walters Friday June 11, 2004 The Guardian 'I'm so happy," croons Billy Jenkins in his blues song Happy, "I don't need to watch no MTV." But you can hardly avoid it - a multitude of digital music video channels pour out ear'n'eye-candy for homes, shops, gyms, even accountants' reception areas. Meanwhile, the megastores are piled high with DVDs, enabling the well-heeled consumer to consume visual rock, pop, jazz, world music and electronica in the technological cocoon of their home cinema rigs. There's never any decent music on TV, after all. So Saint John Coltrane (BBC1, Wednesday, 10.35pm) in the Imagine arts series is cause for celebration: when did we last get an hour-long jazz documentary on a terrestrial TV channel? The programme focuses on tenor saxophonist Coltrane (1926-1967) and his most famous album, A Love Supreme, and includes interviews with pianist McCoy Tyner and recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder. Tantalisingly, the producers have located extracts from the French TV recordings of Coltrane's great quartet playing the four-part suite at the Antibes jazz festival in July 1965. It can't be easy making a mainstream British TV documentary about a cult musician: a big chunk of the audience will have little or no knowledge of "Trane", while a substantial (and vocal) minority will know a great deal - he touched people very deeply. In fact, the programme makes the obsessive nature of his appeal part of the subject matter: footage of the St John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco; a Japanese fan making a pilgrimage to his "mecca", the Long Island home where Trane wrote A Love Supreme; the New York radio station that played Coltrane 24 hours a day for two weeks. There are some bizarre moments: Tory MP Kenneth Clarke at an exhibition of Francis Wolff photographs, describing Trane's "stream of consciousness"; Benny Golson recalling Coltrane's prodigious appetite for sweet potato pies; presenter Alan Yentob walking into the deli that now occupies the site of the Half Note club, "where John Coltrane more or less invented the avant-garde" (now that's a claim and a half), and holding up old prints to show where the bandstand used to be. Nevertheless, there's plenty of music, and some compelling footage of the man in action - even if it doesn't always match what's happening on the soundtrack. Many people will never have heard or seen anything like it before. And they'll want to hear more. I think I'll set the video & MD just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 (edited) ....There are some bizarre moments: Tory MP Kenneth Clarke at an exhibition of Francis Wolff photographs.... That must have been Michael Elton's recent exhibit of Francis Wolff prints held in the West End - superbly presented prints from Mosaic. Two of the best prints on show from a magnificent selection were of Coltrane - one of Coltrane/Morgan/Fuller from 'Blue Train' and another of Coltrane looking thoughtful with tenor from the same session. Edited June 14, 2004 by sidewinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybleaden Posted June 14, 2004 Report Share Posted June 14, 2004 Anybody over here mananged to get it on a dvd???????? or even a video Missed that one completely and could do with watching it to get rid of annoying out law....football crazed, anybody really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted June 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2004 It's not been shown yet, Andy. This Wednesday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybleaden Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 I cannot guarentee that all of my brain cells will be stood in a line for that to happen! Sorry! Village Idiot Competition coming up soon and I have been too busy concentrating on that as I am looking to win back the title I will do my best to sort out this Wednesday and if not I will off course edit my post to show next weeks date! Thanks for the heads up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ngram Posted June 16, 2004 Report Share Posted June 16, 2004 I've now contacted every one I know (and a few I don't) with a digibox to ask if I can get them to tape the Coltrane set on BBC 4 tonight - to no avail. The only one I could contact was my wife's 79 year old mother who told me she had finally managed to work out how to get the digibox to worlk but had long ago given up trying to figure out how the video recorder worked. Would anyone give/sell me a tape/DVD of the set once they have recorded it - pppllleeezzzzeeee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reg Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 I've now contacted every one I know (and a few I don't) with a digibox to ask if I can get them to tape the Coltrane set on BBC 4 tonight - to no avail. The only one I could contact was my wife's 79 year old mother who told me she had finally managed to work out how to get the digibox to worlk but had long ago given up trying to figure out how the video recorder worked. Would anyone give/sell me a tape/DVD of the set once they have recorded it - pppllleeezzzzeeee? 1ngram if you didn't manage to see the sound of miles davis on BBC4 last night. Virgin on union street have it in the down stairs bit on DVD. part of a 2 disc set called the greatest jazz films ever. a bit pricey at £25 but worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 That French footage of the Antibes 'Love Supreme' performance was pretty neat (we'll let them off the football calamity for that). As was the Newport footage with Rashied Ali and Alice Coltrane. Pretty wild stuff. Some interesting snippets too concerning Coltranes alleged fondness for LSD... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Some interesting snippets too concerning Coltranes alleged fondness for LSD... Tell more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Weil Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 I thought it was good but not great. Nobody on that program seemed up to evoking the stature of the man, so what you were left with was a piquaresque travelogue around America with bits of Coltrane thrown. Well, not quite, but the only way they had of evoking Coltrane's greatness was by the way the fans revered him. Porter was quite good - and said a lot of interesting things, including the admission about LSD - but it felt more of a taster than the main course. They were equivocal and quizzical about late Coltrane, but not damning. Simon Weil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFunkJazz Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Given that most programmes about jazz on mainstream TV tend to pitch themselves at viewers with some interest in but without much knowledge of the subject - the ratings imperative - I thought this one stood up better than most. I particularly enjoyed hearing Coltrane's speaking voice; I've got most of his recorded work but I don't think I'd ever heard him actually speak before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Weil Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 I particularly enjoyed hearing Coltrane's speaking voice; I've got most of his recorded work but I don't think I'd ever heard him actually speak before. Yup, I'll be wanting to listen to that again. Simon Weil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ngram Posted June 17, 2004 Report Share Posted June 17, 2004 Many thanks req. I'm away in Stirling at a tai chi weekend as of tomorrow but I will search it out when I get back Monday. I presume you are in Aberdeen too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybleaden Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 I watched and enjoyed the BBC1 programme although tiredness meant I fell asleep right at the end and thought they were linking a love supreme to football....then I twigged I had been asleep. Do not watch too much tv and it tends to make me very sleepy Never mind , it was very good. Would also like to catch up with the BBC4 thing as we do not get that where I live ( freeview) in the uk Any one handy with a copy to borrow steal etc? Ps made up for the sleep with a marathon tranathon on a journey to Pembroke which was very worthwhile as I travelled alone with noone to winge about too much jazz ...for a change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybleaden Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 I watched and enjoyed the BBC1 programme although tiredness meant I fell asleep right at the end and thought they were linking a love supreme to football....then I twigged I had been asleep. Do not watch too much tv and it tends to make me very sleepy Never mind , it was very good. Would also like to catch up with the BBC4 thing as we do not get that where I live ( freeview) in the uk Any one handy with a copy to borrow steal etc? Ps made up for the sleep with a marathon tranathon on a journey to Pembroke which was very worthwhile as I travelled alone with noone to winge about too much jazz ...for a change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 As was the Newport footage with Rashied Ali and Alice Coltrane. Pretty wild stuff. I enjoyed that but was shocked at the small audience that was watching Trane . I've read that Trane lost a large part of his audience as he got further 'out' , but it was still surprising to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted June 21, 2004 Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 As was the Newport footage with Rashied Ali and Alice Coltrane. Pretty wild stuff. I enjoyed that but was shocked at the small audience that was watching Trane . I've read that Trane lost a large part of his audience as he got further 'out' , but it was still surprising to see. You can sort of gauge that listening to the level of applause on recordings such as 'Live In Seattle'. There can't have been more than a dozen or so punters there (either that or they were rendered speechless, which is entirely possible...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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