St. John Coltrane, Pray for Us

http://www.coltranechurch.org/

Saint John Coltrane Church

1286 Fillmore Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

Founders Archbishop Franzo King and Reverend Mother Marina King began this work in 1971 under the name of “One Mind Temple Evolutionary Transitional Body of Christ.” The inspiration came after the young couple had seen John Coltrane perform live in San Francisco in the year 1965. Being raised in the Pentecostal Church, Franzo King knew the presence of the Lord when it came through the power of the Holy Ghost. Seeing John Coltrane and hearing his sound that night was that familiar feeling he knew since childhood. It was the presence of God. Archbishop King refers to this as a “sound baptism” which touched their hearts and minds. Further investigation into this man proved him to be not just a “jazz musician” but one who was chosen to guide souls back to God.

More "Giant Steps" Follow Closely!

The genius of Coltrane continued. Watch the notes move as the music flies. An incredibly inventive video.

Coltrane's "Giant Steps" Performed by Robot

Happy Birthday, John Coltrane

September 23 is the birthday of John Coltrane, born in Hamlet, North Carolina (1926). When asked to describe his style, he said, "I start in the middle of a sentence and move both directions at once."

Coltrane is, at heart, a Philadelphian, having moved here after high school. It remained his base of operations even as he began to tour the country playing for Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, Johnny Hodges and Dizzy Gillespie. His home at 1511 N. 33rd has been designated a landmark, and although it is not open to the public, it is a nice reminder of a time when musical celebrities remained part of the neighborhood. In an age of gated communities, 24 hour papparazi, bodyguards and stalkers, it is hard to imagine someone keeping it real in Strawberry Mansion. Maybe Britney Spears ought to consider relocating to Frankford.

(A Giant Step - John Coltrane's Philadelphia house designated historic site)

It is hard to describe Coltrane's influence on later players, partly because his genius was so inimitable. Like Charle Parker before him, Coltrane played so spectacularly that his style couldn't be repeated. He does continue to inspire players by his spirit, both as a constant experimenter, one who constantly tried different things, expanding what was considered possible, and also by using jazz as a means of spiritual discovery. Some of his most important works--"Love Supreme," "Ascension," "Om," "Meditations" and others--all explore the lasting questions of God, love, and the longing of the soul.

The New York Times writes, "At a certain point, about 1961, Coltrane’s name became shorthand for the idea of cultural rarefaction. You might remember Coltrane references in movies like Woody Allen’s “Alice” or Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues,” or from books like Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion”: they propose Coltrane as a kind of sacred mystery, an unparsable source of enlightenment. But he was a down-home character too, and the raw country sound was always with him. "

Enjoy this down-home enlightenment:

Listen to "Blue Train," the title track from his 1957 album, the only one he made for legendary Blue Note Records. Trane is joined by an impressive set of musicians including Lee Morgan (trumpet), Curtis Fuller (trombone), Kenny Drew (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). Warning: this is a ten minute song.

Listen to "Nutty" from the historic collaboration Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane.

Visit johncoltrane.com

Jazz in an Unexpected Place: Bengalis in Boston

"When she went upstairs to change, Shukumar poured himself some wine and put on a record, a Thelonius Monk album he knew she liked."

--"A Temporary Matter" from Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.

This story will break your heart and then punch you in the gut. It is the first and perhaps most affecting story in an excellent collection. Without giving too much away, it is the story of a young couple, a nightly power outage, dinner conversations, and the difficulty we have in communicating the difficult.

Thelonious Sphere Monk at All About Jazz:

Thelonious Institute offers a jazz curriculum, library, and a whole bunch of audio "snippets."

Other bits of goodness:

In classical mythology, Thelonious is a son of Mercury (featured in Ovid's Metamorphoses.)

The coffee-shop that is frequented in the show Seinfeld is called Monk's after Thelonious Monk. Apparently there was a Thelonious Monk poster hanging in the room Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld would write the script.

Listen to these:

"Blues Five Spot" (Also known as the "Five Spot Blues," it takes its title friom the famous New York Club where Monk had a long lasting residency. It is the place that made Monk a star while he in turn made it into the premier jazz club in America. Do not confuse it with this place. This version features full backing band.)

"I Should Care" (a short piano only track from his album Solo Monk.)

Another favorite, but I don't have it handy, is "Straight, No Chaser."

More from Joe Z.

On my way home today I was listening to local radio station 88.5 WXPN when all of a sudden came on this great tune. When it finished, the DJ identified it as "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" by the Cannonball Adderly Quintet. The piece was written by his keyboardist, Joe Zawinul.

Even if you don't like jazz, you'll love this one. You can smell the cigarette smoke in the air. Great intro, too.

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"


For serious jazz fans, you might also like this one:
"Birdland" by Weather Report

This song is a pretty good example of "fusion," a style I am typically not crazy about, but this has a catchy melody line. One critic says, "'Birdland' is a remarkable bit of record-making, a unified, ever-developing piece of music that evokes, without in any way imitating, a joyous evening on 52nd St. with a big band."

An interesting sidenote: "Weather Report started out as a jazz equivalent of what the rock world in 1970 was calling a "supergroup." But unlike most of the rock supergroups, this one not only kept going for a good 15 years, it more than lived up to its billing, practically defining the state of the jazz-rock art throughout almost all of its run." For more on supergroups, see the R.L.P.A.

Joe Zawinul was born in Earth time on 07 July 1932 and was born in Eternity time on 11 September 2007

Joe Zawinul, a white European who mastered the music of Black America, passed away today at the age of 75. Seen as a pioneer in jazz-rock fusion, electronic jazz, and the father of the Jazz Synthesizer, he made his mark working with Miles Davis.

From the Wires:

Jazz legend Joe Zawinul dies at 75

By VERONIKA OLEKSYN, Associated Press

Joe Zawinul, who soared to fame as one of the creators of jazz fusion and performed and recorded with Miles Davis, died early Tuesday, a hospital official said. He was 75.

Zawinul had been hospitalized since last month. A spokeswoman for Vienna's Wilhelmina Clinic confirmed his death without giving details. His manager, Risa Zincke, said Zawinul suffered from a rare form of skin cancer, according to the Austria Press Agency.

Zawinul won widespread acclaim for his keyboard work on chart-topping Davis albums such as "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," and was a leading force behind the so-called "Electric Jazz" movement.

In 1970, Zawinul founded the band Weather Report and produced a series of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market" and "I Sing the Body Electric." After that band's breakup, he founded the Zawinul Syndicate in 1987.

Zawinul, who was born in the Austrian capital, Vienna, and emigrated to the United States in 1959, is credited with bringing the electric piano and synthesizer into the jazz mainstream.
This past spring, he toured Europe to mark the 20th anniversary of the Zawinul Syndicate. He sought medical attention when the tour ended, the Viennese Hospital Association said in a statement last month.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Zawinul's death meant the loss of a "music ambassador" who was known and cherished around the world. "As a person and through his music, Joe Zawinul will remain unforgettable for us all," Fischer said in a statement.

Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer praised Zawinul's "unpretentious way of dealing with listeners" and said he wasn't "blinded by superficialities."

"Wherever he performed, he impressed with his playing," Gusenbauer said in a statement.
Zawinul's son, Erich, said his father would not be forgotten. "He lives on," Erich Zawinul was quoted as saying by APA.

Zawinul played with Maynard Ferguson and Dinah Washington before joining alto saxophonist great Cannonball Adderley in 1961 for nine years, according to a biography on his Web site. With Adderley, Zawinul wrote several important songs, among them the slow and funky hit "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy."

Zawinul then moved on to a brief collaboration with Miles Davis, at the time Davis was moving into the electric arena. It was Zawinul's tune "In a Silent Way" that served as the title track of Davis' first electric foray.

Funeral plans were not immediately released, but Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl told reporters he would be given an honorary grave in the capital.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_en_mu/storytext/obit_zawinul/24414691/SIG=10tmhgr1u/*http://www.zawinulmusic.com