Details
Synopsis
Less a biography of John Coltrane than an exploration of his spiritual and musical quests and his attempts to reconcile the two, ASCENSION augments its scholarly theorizing with reminiscences of the great jazz saxophonist's performances. Attributing Coltrane's combination of spirituality and blues roots to his country upbringing in North Carolina, the late Eric Nisenson emphasizes that Coltrane was no prodigy, with his talent not approaching fruition until his late 20s, and even then being subverted by his heroin addiction. He describes the controversy generated by the saxophonist's novel approaches to jazz theory and improvisation, and Coltrane's single-minded attitude towards his musical expression; the musician saw it, purely and simply, as an integral part of his religious life. (Nisenson compares witnessing a Coltrane performance to a religious revelation, and the sound of his horn on the groundbreaking album ASCENSION to the sound of a black church meeting in progress.) ASCENSION's empathetic analysis of Coltrane's musical search takes us deep inside the musician's motivations and the intricacies of his recorded legacy.
| Size | | Height: | 8.3 in | | Width: | 5.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 13.6 oz |
Industry Reviews
"Equal parts biography, jazz history, social history and listener's guide, 'Ascension' manages to be both entertaining and modestly enlightening."
New York Times Book Review - David Royko (01/09/1994)
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