Books: "Coltrane: The Definitive Visual Celebration of the Legend"

 

Coltrane: The Definitive Visual Celebration of the Legend

Edited by Ravi Coltrane

Ten Speed Press; hardcover, 288 pages; $60.00; available today, Tuesday, September 1st

Ravi Coltrane is a critically-acclaimed Grammy-nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer who is the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane. Named after Indian sitae legend Ravi Shankar, he was born on Long Island and raised in Los Angeles, where his family moved after his father's death in 1967. Ravi has led the effort to restore the John Coltrane home in Dix Hills, Long Island, and presides over important reissues of his parents' recordings, while also keeping up his own performance schedule.

John Coltrane was a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader with a very unique vision, making him one of the most transformative figures in the history of modern music. During a decade of unprecedented output, Coltrane released 25 albums as a leader, with music characterized by fearless exploration and emotional depth. 

Coltrane's work encapsulated blues, bebop, modal jazz, and the avant-garde, with influence on generations of musicians across jazz, rock, hip-hop, classical, and experimental music. He expanded what was possible with jazz, establishing music as a path to spiritual inquiry and human connection. He also was known for his curiosity, which enabled him to be at the center of nearly every major shift in style in jazz in the mid-20th century.

This beautifully-produced coffee table book is a centerpiece of COLTRANE 100, a celebration of John Coltrane's centennial throughout 2026. He passed away way too young in 1967, and would have turned 100 on September 23.

It features exclusive contributions from musicians, artists, and writers who have been moved by Coltrane's work and legacy, starting with basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabaar,  as well as Wayne Coyne, Dev Hynes, Phil Lesh, Julie Mehretu, Carlos Santana, and Patti Smith. The introduction was written by Ravi Coltrane.

Coltrane contains over 200 expertly-curated images, including dozens of never-before-seen photos, from remowned photographers such as Chuck Stewart, Francis Woolf, Jim Marshall, and Jean Pierre Leloir. There are outtakes from the Ascension album cover photoshoot, in-studio candid shots taken while Blue Train was being recorded, a glimpse of Alice Coltrane backstage before her first performance with John, among many other historic pictures.

"Sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand words," Ravi Coltrane writes in his very thoughtful Foreword. 

"I have spent a lifetime looking at and admiring many of the photos you will see in this book. The collection features some of the most iconic images of John Coltrane as well as images I've never seen before and published here for the first time. For me, seeing a new photo of John Coltrane is almost as good as hearing a never-before-released recording of John Coltrane. There is a synergy between an image of John and his recorded works. I believe, in many ways, John Coltrane's legend is wrapped up in equal parts sight and sound.

"John' image is powerful, and like his music, it stays with us. As surely as I can call to mind his beautiful saxophone sound, the melodies and the solos, I can also recall the intensity of focus, introspection, contemplation, and humanity so clearly evident on his face. I can see the wisdom and intuition behind his eyes, beneath his gaze. The photographs give us all an opportunity to intuit a rich inner life of an artist and innovator in flight."