Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff

[7/4]

Coltrane: The Story of a Sound

Ben Ratliff

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (September 18, 2007)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Ratliff, the jazz critic for the New York Times, isn't interested in simply retelling the biographical facts of John Coltrane's life. Instead, he analyzes how the saxophone player came to be regarded as the last major figure in the evolution of jazz, tracing both the evolution of his playing style and the critical reception to it. The first half of this study concentrates on Coltrane's career, from his early days as a semianonymous sideman to his final, increasingly experimental recordings, while the second half explores the growth of Coltrane's legacy after his death. Ratliff has a keen sense of Coltrane's constantly changing sound, highlighting the collaborative nature of jazz by discussing the bands he played in as both sideman and leader. (One of the more intriguing asides is a suggestion that Coltrane's alleged LSD use might have inclined him toward a more cooperative mode of performance.) The consideration of Coltrane's shifting influence on jazz—and other modern musical forms—up to the present day is equally vigorous, refusing to rely on simple adulation. Always going past the legend to focus on the real-life stories and the actual recordings, Ratliff's assessment is a model for music criticism. (Sept.)

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Review

Ben Ratliff's Coltrane is criticism with a sense of the man. It sees the '60s anew without distorting them beyond recognition for someone who was there. It conceptualizes jazz as a still-living music. It makes you want to listen again and think some more. --Robert Christgau

"Ben Ratliff's Coltrane is an extraordinarily vivid account of the creative process--both that of the artist and that of the people whose works respond to his. Ratliff is such a terrific writer that he can make musical points clear even to readers who know nothing about theory. This book will be passed from hand to hand." —Luc Sante, author of Low Life and The Factory of Facts

"A triumphant analysis, which captures in well-chosen words the charisma of Coltrane's sound, the excitement of his journey, and the unique quality of his influence, without ever surrendering to the usual jazz book gush. Ben Ratliff's measured intelligence and readable, elegant prose, his willingness to make necessary distinctions and unsentimental judgments, earn him a place among the best critics we have." —Phillip Lopate

John Coltrane’s stylistic evolution in the 1950s and 60s was a signal cultural event—as much spiritual and political as technical--and one whose repercussions continue to haunt us. In taking a new look at how Coltrane changed and what those changes have meant to the musicians who followed him, Ben Ratliff brings a mercurial era lucidly to life, sometimes sharply questioning received wisdom, paying close attention to the needs and difficulties of working musicians, and underscoring the continued massive relevance of Coltrane’s music.—Geoffrey O’Brien, author of "Sonata for Jukebox"

[Christiern]

Looking forward to the authoritative reviews.

[paul secor]

[7/4]

I'm curious.

[Chuck Nessa]

Not me.

[7/4]

hey, I didn't say I was going to buy it.

[Chuck Nessa]

Probably close to 500 books I could care about and check out. This isn't one of them unless there are lots of unpublished pictures. Then I might buy a remaindered copy and cut it up. I have never read a piece by Ratliff I respected.

[paul secor]

Probably close to 500 books I could care about and check out. This isn't one of them unless there are lots of unpublished pictures. Then I might buy a remaindered copy and cut it up. I have never read a piece by Ratliff I respected.

To me, that's an authoritative review.

[Christiern]

And one with which I concur. The deafest jazz writer NY Times has come up with, imho.

[montg]

Ratliff has a keen sense of Coltrane's constantly changing sound, highlighting the collaborative nature of jazz by discussing the bands he played in as both sideman and leader. (One of the more intriguing asides is a suggestion that Coltrane's alleged LSD use might have inclined him toward a more cooperative mode of performance

I don't want to be too quick too judge this opinion, since I haven't seen the book, but on the surface it seems far fetched to link LSD to an artistic decision toward "a more cooperative mode of performance." Am I missing something? I didn't even know Trane was linked to lsd. Is 'cooperative mode of performance' referring to Trane's late period?

[kh1958]

Ratliff has a keen sense of Coltrane's constantly changing sound, highlighting the collaborative nature of jazz by discussing the bands he played in as both sideman and leader. (One of the more intriguing asides is a suggestion that Coltrane's alleged LSD use might have inclined him toward a more cooperative mode of performance

I don't want to be too quick too judge this opinion, since I haven't seen the book, but on the surface it seems far fetched to link LSD to an artistic decision toward "a more cooperative mode of performance." Am I missing something? I didn't even know Trane was linked to lsd. Is 'cooperative mode of performance' referring to Trane's late period?

Om was supposedly recorded on LSD.

[Lazaro Vega]

From the introduction, "But what about that hippie myth in which jazz is 'tomorrow's music' forever and ever, the result of a radical process? The structural innovations of jazz really did slow down precipitously after Coltrane."

I have issues with that.

[umum_cypher]

No problem with Ratliff per se, but who are these people who are waking up, even today, and saying That's it - I will write a book about Coltrane?

[ghost of miles]

Ratliff has a keen sense of Coltrane's constantly changing sound, highlighting the collaborative nature of jazz by discussing the bands he played in as both sideman and leader. (One of the more intriguing asides is a suggestion that Coltrane's alleged LSD use might have inclined him toward a more cooperative mode of performance

I don't want to be too quick too judge this opinion, since I haven't seen the book, but on the surface it seems far fetched to link LSD to an artistic decision toward "a more cooperative mode of performance." Am I missing something? I didn't even know Trane was linked to lsd. Is 'cooperative mode of performance' referring to Trane's late period?

I'm sure in this instance that it is (pretty general mumbo-jumbo, though--jazz wasn't a "cooperative mode of performance" before?), but this info isn't particularly "intriguing," as writers have been bringing it up for the past 10-15 years. Not saying that Trane's use of LSD in the mid-1960s isn't worth mentioning, but simply that it's not exactly news at this point (the marketers seem to be treating it as an angle for selling the book).

[JSngry]

who are these people who are waking up, even today, and saying That's it - I will write a book about Coltrane?

[7/4]

Could Coltrane: the Opera be just around the corner?

[jlhoots]

I don't really care one way or the other about this book or Ratliff - but some of you need a double espresso & to get on with the day.

[7/4]

How about Coltrane: the Opera, On the Corner?

[Aggie87]

How about Coltrane: the Opera, On the Corner?

As produced and sang by Vince Wilburn.

[BruceH]

I've got nothing against Ratliff (I'm not really familiar with his work)---I just don't give a damn about Coltrane.

[7/4]

I've got nothing against Ratliff (I'm not really familiar with his work)---I just don't give a damn about Coltrane.

There's a new angle.

[Kalo]

I've got nothing against Ratliff (I'm not really familiar with his work)---I just don't give a damn about Coltrane.

Not even a teensy-weensy little bit?

[Brad]

Probably close to 500 books I could care about and check out. This isn't one of them unless there are lots of unpublished pictures. Then I might buy a remaindered copy and cut it up. I have never read a piece by Ratliff I respected.

Ouch! That's a little too critical.

[Kalo]

I can never read the name Ratliff without thinking of the character from the fine Texan cartoonist Sam Hurt's comic strip Eyebeam.

[BruceH]

I've got nothing against Ratliff (I'm not really familiar with his work)---I just don't give a damn about Coltrane.

Not even a teensy-weensy little bit?

Let's just say I havn't joined the church yet.

I can never read the name Ratliff without thinking of the character from the fine Texan cartoonist Sam Hurt's comic strip Eyebeam.

Bingo!