Where would the music have been taken?

[Hardbopjazz]

If Coltrane lived past 1967, where would he have taken his music? Towards the end of his life he was submerged in free jazz, and he also had some eastern influences to his music. I think it would have been more towards the “Stellar Regions” sound. But give it a few years and he would have changed his sound and music again.

Any thoughts?

[Guy Berger]

If Coltrane lived past 1967, where would he have taken his music? Towards the end of his life he was submerged in free jazz, and he also had some eastern influences to his music. I think it would have been more towards the “Stellar Regions” sound. But give it a few years and he would have changed his sound and music again.

Any thoughts?

Obviously extremely speculative, but given the path that a lot of other jazz revolutionaries took in the 70s and 80s, I think that to some degree he would have moved back toward the mainstream.

Guy

[John L]

Coltrane seemed increasingly interested in Eastern and African musics toward the end of his life. I imagine that he would have tried to mine those areas further.

[DatDere]

I think he would have made some killer disco-funk records with the Mizell Bros.

[sidewinder]

Maybe some of the music made by Alice Coltrane on Impulse points to a possible direction he may also have taken?

[mikeweil]

I think he would have pursued the path shown by the posthumous Stellar Regions CD, but at the same time experimented with African music, especially larger percussion groups - and I think with other musical styles from all over the word, as well as electronics - remember he played Varitone on one his last tours?

[WD45]

Maybe some of the music made by Alice Coltrane on Impulse points to a possible direction he may also have taken?

That is what I was going to speculate.

[JSngry]

Seems to me that, between INTERSTELLAR SPACE and EXPRESSION, Trane was finding a new lyricism in his playing. The big "what if" for me is how he would have contextualized it. But ti's a moot point, really.

[Dave James]

I can recall reading somewhere that he intended to move backwards, perhaps more to the inner edges of out or even further. Given that he'd taken his music about as far as he could in its 1967 context, that wouldn't be much of a surprise. Based on his last few recordings, you'd get no argument from me if he chose to move in a more traditional direction.

Keep in mind Coltrane died in 1967 at age 40. If he'd lived another 30-35 years, that would have taken him through a lot of different musical styles and trends. Everything from disco to hip hop. With someone as gifted musically as he was, one can only speculate as to what he might have gotten into. Geez, for all we know, he could've wound up calling himself De La Col or Jay-C.

Fun to speculate, but who has a clue.

Up over and out.

[RDK]

On a similar path to what Pharoah took and where he's at now?

[Michael Fitzgerald]

This was discussed rather thoroughly a little over a year ago on rec.music.bluenote - the thread can be found here:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.mu...67a93d54db9a612

My friend Ed Rhodes argued very convincingly against the idea that Coltrane would turn towards more conservative things.

Mike

[Jazz Kat]

I think the most creative music would of came out of him in the rest of the 60's. I think now, he would just be playing (great of course). The 80's was one of the worst things to happen to jazz, imo.

[7/4]

This was discussed rather thoroughly a little over a year ago on rec.music.bluenote - the thread can be found here:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.mu...67a93d54db9a612

My friend Ed Rhodes argued very convincingly against the idea that Coltrane would turn towards more conservative things.

Mike

Thanks. I only had time to check a bit of it, but I'll read more later.

What would have happened? No one knows.

I can dream...collaborations with Sun Ra? Ornette? John McLaughlin? Anthony Braxton?

[RDK]

A collaboration with Hendrix?

The soundtrack for "Last Tango in Paris?"

Some excrutiating disco-jazz albums in the late-70s?

The sax solo on the Stones' "Waiting for a Friend?"

Musical Director for Jay Leno?

[jazzbo]

It IS a moot point. And somehow, I just can't imagine it. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't GUESS it.

[chris olivarez]

With Trane I don't think anyone(except maybe Alice and Ravi)would ever really know.He was truly a unique cat.

[mrjazzman]

its useless to speculate on what an artist would have done, no one can predict such things.................

[Jazz Kat]

But that's why they made discussion boards.

[Rooster_Ties]

I think he would have made some killer disco-funk records with the Mizell Bros.

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[.:.impossible]

I would love to hear more of John Coltrane in duet context, as well as the multi-percussion context. I would also love to hear more of John Coltrane in a trio format.

Think of all of the musicians that he never did record with. Duets with Wayne Shorter, not just practice tapes. Duets with John Gilmore, Fred Anderson, Adam Rudolph, more Jimmy Garrison, maybe a trio with two bassists. The list could go on forever.

I cannot speculate as to whether his music would continue to evolve and change at the pace it did in the late 1950s through the late 1960s, but I can imagine the possibilities of growth by moving away from a working ensemble to a more improvisational setting.

[paul secor]

I doubt that in 1957 anyone (including Trane) could have predicted where Trane's music would be ten years later. Why should anyone try to predict where it might have gone had he lived past 1967?

Edited November 15, 2005 by paul secor