John Coltrane

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JOHN COLTRANE: COLTRANE: The Development of the Modal Style Period Tom in!ent

Thesis submission in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Music (Honours)

O!to"er #$$$

School of Music Victorian College of the Arts Uniersit! Uniersit! of Melbourne

Statement of a%thenti!ity

This thesis is the original "or# of Tom Tom Vincent$ Vincent$ %here the research of other authors has been discussed it has been referenced in the te&t$

Tom Vincent 'ctober 

Content&

*ore"ord Chapter 

+ntroduction

Chapter ,

Biograph!

Chapter -

.iterature /eie"

Chapter 0

Musical +nfluences

Chapter 1

Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod

Chapter 4

The *inal 5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Brasilia9 9Transition9

Chapter :

Conclusion

Appendi& A

Transcriptions of Co Coltrane2s +mproisations8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9

Appendi& B

Chronolog! of of th the /e /ecordings ma made of of Co Coltrane from m follo"ing his lead$ He>s done a lot to open m! e!es to "hat can be done$$$$+ feel indebted to him6 m!self$ Because6 actuall!6 "hen he came along6 + "as so far in this thing LGiant Steps chordsI6 + didn>t #no" "here + "as going to go ne&t$ And + don>t #no" if + "ould hae thought about ?ust abandoning the chord s!stem or not$ + probabl! "ouldn>t hae thought of that at all$ And he came along doing it6 and + heard it6 + said6 L%ell6 that must be the ans"er$ $$$Since + hae a piano6 "e hae to consider  it6 and that accounts for the modes that "e pla!6 but$$$after a "hile6 that>s going to get a little monotonous to do it on eer! song6 so there probabl! "ill  be some songs in the future that "e>re going to pla!6 ?ust as 'rnette does6 "ith no accompaniment from the piano at all @ e&cept on ma!be the melod!6  but as far as the solo6 no accompaniment$22

Coltrane greatl! admired t tell him "hat chords6 + said6 P+>m through "ith it$> And so he>s on his o"n6 and +>m going on m! o"n6 seeQ$$$Still no melod!6 though$ .aughsI + had to ma#e the melod! as + "ent along$ But at least +>m tr!ing to thin# of a melod!E +>m not referring to the chords to get the melod!$2+

3orter mentions that 9$$$African structural concepts ma! hae influenced him too @ %est African drumming groups "ill repeat one section until the leader gies a

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cue to go onto the ne&t6 much as Coltrane does in 9M! *aorite Things9 'ctober  4DI9$2( The influence of +ndian music is clear in pieces such as 9+ndia9 (4)6 a chant that remains constantl! on G pedal point$ 3orter posits the influence of the =orth +ndian st!le of sitar improisation6 also 9$$$perhaps in the "a! he li#es to repeat and deelop short moties in his improisations$92&

This is arguable$

Since the

 publication of 3orter2s "or#6 3utschgl has made an anal!sis of the st!listic characteristics of the American Afro@oral tradition$

Since the appearance of 

3utschgl2s "or#6 it seems li#el! that Coltrane2s t!pical forms of repetition and deelopment of short moties in his improisations are as much a result of his o"n Afro@oral cultural heritage as the! are a result of influence from other ethnic sources$ Coltrane ac#no"ledged the influence of +ndian music on his "or#6 but it "as the spirit of the music that he emphasised8 + li#e /ai Shan#ar 2%  er! much$ %hen + hear his music6 + "ant to cop! it @ not note for note of course6 but in his spirit$ %hat brings me closest to /ai is the modal aspect of his art$ Currentl!6 at the particular stage + find m!self in6 + seem to be going through a modal phase$$$$There>s a lot of modal music that is pla!ed eer! da! throughout the "o rld$ +t>s particularl! eident in Africa6 but if !ou loo# at Spain or Scotland6 +ndia or China6 !ou>ll discoer  this again in each case$ +f !ou "ant to loo# be!ond the differences in st!le6 !ou "ill confirm that there is a common base$ That>s er! important$ Certainl!6 the popular music of 7ngland is not that of South America6 but ta#e a"a! their purel! ethnic characteristics @ that is6 their fol#loric aspect @ and !ou>ll discoer the presence of the same pentatonic sonorit!$ +t>s this uniersal aspect of music that interests me and attracts meE that>s "hat +>m aiming for$92

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2%"orth

Bndian sitar Airtuoso.

23orter ,$

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Coltrane "as searching for no less than the elements that constitute a transforming po"er in music$ +>e alread! been loo#ing into those approaches to music @ as in +ndia @ in "hich particular sounds and scales are intended to produce specific emotional meanings$$$ + "ould li#e to bring to people something li#e happiness$ + "ould li#e to discoer a method so that if + "ant it to rain6 it "ill start right a"a! to rain$ +f one of m! friends is ill6 +>d li#e to pla! a certain song and he "ill be curedE "hen he>d be bro#e6 +>d bring out a different song and immediatel! he>d receie all the mone! he needed$ But "hat are these  pieces and "hat is the road to trael to attain a #no"ledge of them6 that + don>t #no"$2$

Throughout Coltrane2s modal period6 the underlining melodic and harmonic structure of his music is that of fourth based moties$ This contrasts "ith most ?a;; and %estern music in general6 "hich builds on a basic structure of ma?or and minor  chords$ 3orter obseres that 9This gies his music a serious6 rather abstract sound and $$$ it probabl! contributes to the spiritual element in his music$93 This pentatonic sonorit!6 "hich Coltrane detected as the common base beneath the ethnic differences of much fol# music "orld@"ide6 can also be found in the Afro@christian chanted sermon$ *ourths are also6 of course6 a basis of the blues$ As 3orter sa!s8 9That mi&ture of intense blues and spiritual ferour gies his music astounding po"er931 3orter goes on to ma#e a #e! obseration6 "hich "as later to be ta#en up and e&plored so aluabl! b! 3utschgl8 9The "a! he builds his solos b! deeloping short ideas at length6 repeating them in different registers and building up to higher and higher notes6 ma#es him a preacher on the sa&ophone$932 Coltrane2s music has been influenced b! an e&ceptional number of sources$ 3articularl! stri#ing is the connection bet"een characteristics of Coltrane2s modal 2$3orter ,-$ 3Porter

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music and those of the American blac# preaching formulae6 "ith roots in the Afro@ oral tradition$ +t is perhaps because Coltrane2s improisational inspiration is deried in essence from fol# roots that his sound has such enduring italit!$

Chapter ,

Coltrane2s Music from 1 to 40

There are three periods in Coltrane2s music$ The bebop period from 10 to 1 "as follo"ed b! his modal period6 from around 1@4D until 41$ His last

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 brief period from the end of 41 until his death in 4: has been less rerearched$ +t is termed 2post modal2 in this paper for the sa#e of conenience6 but the term is not necessaril! definitie$ T"o ma?or corner stones of ?a;; "ere recorded t"o months apart at the  beginning of 1$ The! "ere Kind of Blue and Giant Steps$ +n *ebruar!6 s most famous modal composition is L+mpressions "hich "as first recorded in 4D$ +t is based on the same -, bar form as LSo %hat from the album6  Kind of Blue8 AABA$ The A section is in < minor and the B section is in 7b minor$ This is a basic concept of modal ?a;;E using one chordNscale6 usuall! of a minor  tonalit!6 for "hole sections of music$ Bebop had chords changing eer! bar or t"o and usuall! t"ice in one bar$ Melodic naigation through the eer changing chord related scales of bebop requires of the improiser a er! different conceptual approach from that required b! modal ?a;;$ These t"o contrasting tonal approaches fuelled Coltrane2s deelopment through the earl! 4Ds8 The quic#l! changing harmonic structure li#e that of LGiant Steps "hich he used in his melodic lines6 and the slo"l! changing harmonic structure such as he used inL+mpressions$ The range of his repertoire from this period6 both lie and recorded6 is discussed in Chapter ,$ Songs from a ariet! of genres "ere reitalised b! Coltrane2s treatment$ Through 3utschgl2s deconstruction of the final recordings of 9Mr 3C9 and 9Traning +n9 from 'ctober and =oember of 4-6 he demonstrates the stri#ing ariet! of innoatie "a!s in "hich Coltrane2s modal st!le of pla!ing reitalised the  blues form$

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The blues oice@sequence becomes a central principle of melodic

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stucture in Coltrane2s modal treatments6 and he returned the blues from the characteristic ma?or@chord implications of the bebop st!le to its modal origins in reanimated form$ Modal ?a;; "as a radical ne" departure in that the motiic formula replaced the chord sequence as the ma?or structural deice$ %ithin this ne" open modal st!le of pla!ing Coltrane used identifiable structural techniques both in the oerall form of  his solos and also in the actual melodic phrases$ thoroughl! anal!sed b! 3utschgl and 3orter$

These techniques hae been

The! obsere that throughout

Coltrane2s modal period6 although he "as al"a!s e&ploring ne" changes and ariations6 his st!le did not alter in an! radical sense$ His astonishing deelopment of  that time of his most influential music too# place "ithin the basic st!listic confines of  formulaic improisation6 ho"eer far it ma! hae traeled from the formulae of   bebop$ 3utschgl usefull! anal!ses the characteristics of Coltrane2s structurall! innoatie melodic lines of this period6 and the "a! in "hich his permutations of   pentatonic scales created ne" melodic combinations of interals$ +n this e&panded s!stem of pentatonics can be heard the distinctie non@"estern melodic influences discussed in the preious Chapter$ Coltrane incorporated the tripartite diision of the octae6 as used in 9Giant Steps96 "ith pentatonics6 to create "inding paths of melodic chromatacism$ The rh!thm section "as free to "ander modall! "hile the third c!cle ocabular! e&panded melodicall!$ 3utschgl coined the phrase 9formulaic units9 to describe the episodic  patterns that characterise the structure of Coltrane2s modal music$ These units are formulaic in that the! are defined b! conentional chorus or eight bar parameters$ The! are usuall! either binar! or ternar!E the binar! consisting of contrasting sections6 and the ternar! consisting of t"o contrasting sections and then a resolution or clima&$

2&

3utschgl2s "or# is rich in its detailing of the analogous nature of Coltrane2s structural methods and e&pressie effects to that of the African oral tradition$ *irst8 He describes the blac# sermon principle of ariation and permutation of a basic motif  or idea6 "here aesthetic alue is placed on the s#ill and ariet! of circumlocution$ This principle6 "hich stands in contrast to the %estern linear method of  communication6 is clearl! eident as a means of melodic organisation in Coltrane2s modal deelopment$ Second8 He outlines a principle of controlled d!namic and dramatic increase6 a form of 9ecstaticisation96 designed to stimulate the gro"ing emotional inolement of the listener$ Techniques include "hat 3utschgl has termed 9running@note stalling9 (the brea#ing up of long notes into repeated or alternating notes6 as 3orter describes it)6 9glossilalia9 (spea#ing in tongues or 9false fingering9 in 3orter2s terminolog!)6 and 9screaming96 9hon#ing96 and 9;ooning9 at the e&tremes of register$

+ntensit! of 

e&pressie gesture and e&treme sonic ariation are hallmar#s of Coltrane2s oice$ The modal st!le of ?a;; "ith its reduced use of chordal progressions allo"ed comple& rh!mic te&ture to ta#e a more predominant role in the music$ 3utschgl aptl! ac#no"ledges the importance of ones6 particularl! the strong d!namic significance and e&pressie po"er of his characteristic ternar! groupings "ithin his as!metrical forms of moement$ This st!le of drumming gae Coltrane ma&imum fle&ibilit! and support$ +n an interie" in 4-6 Coltrane comments on the d!namics of the rh!thm section8 +t is necessar! to hae a firm beat going6 (but) it2s not necessar! to hae eer!one pla!ing 0N06 + mean rigidl!$ Bet"een the three man or the t"o man pianolessI rh!thm section6 there should be enough interpla! to gie !ou at eer! point of the song the same solidarit! that !ou get in 0N06 but it "ill be implied sometimes instead of actuall! pla!ed$ =o" this thing6 it can be done and sometimes it is done but it has to be the right combination of indiiduals  pla!ing$ The! hae to reall! feel this "a!6 and the! hae to hae er! good sounds$ The! hae to be able to produce good qualit! sound on the instrument so "hen the! do pla!6 "hat the! pla! "ill sustain and thus create

2%

this leel of samenessI underneath6 although it "ill be bro#en actuall! as it2s  pla!ed$3+

Chapter -

The *inal5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9

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This chapter inestigates Coltrane2s modal st!le in its final phase6 from  =oember 40 to s telling us that God is eer!"here @ in eer! register6 in eer! #e! @ and he>s sho"ing us that !ou hae to discoer religious belief $$$(that) the listener has to e&perience the process and then the listener is read! to hear the chant$ As "e listen to the music6 its meaning unfolds for us$93% a;; improisation in music is analogous to the e&periential rather than the doctrinal approach in religion$ 3erhaps this "as part of the reason "h! Coltrane did

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not tell his band about the underl!ing inspiration of the suite2s conception$ He "as  preparing a space of receptiit! in the hearts of his sidemen and listeners ali#e$

9Bra;ilia9 9Bra;ilia9 is the longest trac# on the album6 9The John Coltrane Quartet   Plays$ +t "as recorded on : Ma! 416 fie months after the recording of A Love Supreme Coltrane2s st!le deeloped considerabl! during these interening months$ +n 9Bra;ilia9 "e find the beginnings of Coltrane2s moe into his post@modal  period$ There is continuing deelopment of modal ocabular! and this is mar#ed b! increased motiic and paraphrastic ariation$ The improisator! settings are less delineated b! harmonic preconceptions$ At this crossoer point bet"een Coltrane2s modal and post@modal periods6 the eight bar or start@of@chorus sign@posts appear to dissole$ 9Bra;ilia9 combines the use of metricall! free sections "ith quarter time6 four   beat s"ing feel$

+t deelops further the loose adherence to a minor tonalit!

foundation that can be heard in 9Ac#no"ledgment9$ The theme6 an ABA form6 is  based on t"o different t"ele@tone passages$ The "or# incorporates pentatonics6 "hole tone scales and deriations of Coltrane2s 9Giant Steps9 ocabular!$ 'nl! the theme and the coda are pla!ed in free meter6 in "hat 3utschgl calls the 9cantillation9 st!le$ The deolopment of this free st!le is a basic departure from the formal rh!thmic conentions of ?a;;$ 3utschgl locates its origin in the blac#  Gospel solo conentions$

The bod! of the "or#6 "hich is more conentionall!

modal6 consists of improisations in quarter time$ 9Bra;ilia9 starts "ith a rubato duet bet"een Coltrane and ones in "hich Coltrane pla!s the theme$ As there is no harmonic accompaniment6 Coltrane is free to pla! the theme as he feels6 shaping the t"ele@tone ro"s "ith connecting notes "hich disguise these s#eletel structures$

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+t has a structure "hich could be loosel! described as ternar! "ithin ternar! "ithin ternar!$ The oerall form consists of a sa&ophone solo follo"ed b! a piano solo follo"ed b! another sa&ophone solo$ 7ach t"ele@tone ro" of the theme is comprised of three four@note cells$ %ithin the ?u&taposition of the t"o t"ele@tone ro"s6 the motion is contrar! for the first seen pitches6 parallel for the ne&t three6 and contrar! for the last8 dia"ram

Coltrane adds an e&tra final note to the final cell (cell M6 the third cell of the second t"ele@tone ro" B)6 "hich creates a fie note cell consisting of the four  smallest interals in our %estern scale$ As a final cell6 it has an apt qualit! of closure  brought about b! the use of smaller and smaller interals$ This is a er! subtle construct$

There "as an increasing degree of abstraction in the structuring of 

Coltrane2s melod! as his modal "or# deeloped$ This tendenc! ma! not hae been deliberate6 but as Coltane sa!s6 95ou hae to do a lot of "or# consciousl!6 then !ou can leae the rest to !our subconscious later on$3 'n the other hand6 perhaps these intricate relationships "ere a conscious aspect of Coltrane2s composition$ +n the liner notes to 9Transition96 the ne&t piece to  be discussed6 Alice Coltrane is quoted as sa!ing 9He "as doing a lot of "riting6 een more "riting than practicing6 and !ou #no" ho" much time he spent practicing$93$ %hen the improisations in 9Bra;ilia9 are anal!sed6 although relationships are less clearl! eident than the! are in his modal "or# of preious !ears6 there is too much

3 3orter ,D1$ 3$"at

Hento 1$%liner notes to Transition  CD.

3+

coherence of structure at all leels for the piece to hae been composed spontaneousl!$ The theme of Coltrane2s composition 9Miles2 Mode96 recorded in 46 uses a strict t"ele@tone ro" immediatel! follo"ed b! its retrograde6 follo"ed b! improisations based on the tonalit! of C minor$ +n the improisations in 9Bra;ilia96 the t"ele tone s!stem appears to hae been abandoned again$ The improisations are loosel! based in 7b minor$ %hen as#ed about improising in the t"ele tone method he said 9s the feeling that counts during improisationI$ 5ou pla! all , notes in !our solo an!"a!$9+ There are traceable elements from Slomins#!2s Thesaurus in the coda$ The length! build up to the conclusion of the coda alludes again to the Gospel solo tradition$

9Transition9 'f the three pieces discussed in this paper6 9Transition9 best illustrates Coltrane2s use of the declamation st!le of the blac# preacher idiom$6 "here 9d!namic intensification is ino#ed b! the use of paraphrastic repetition$9+1 3utschgl argues persuasiel! that 9some of the most conincing and s!stematicall! constructed forms of reappropriation and transfomation of blac# oral culture can be found in the music of ohn Coltrane$9+2 He maintains that 9the most authentic forms of significant creatie and e&pressie features of Afro@American  performatie culture can be found in the structural sequence of religious rituals$9+3 He adds that 9the 2chanted sermon2 represents the most s!stematic construction and

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+13utschgl --,$ +23utschgl --0$ +33utschgl --0$

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the most intense forms of e&pressie and communicatie elements$$$of these ritualsI$9 ++ 3utschgl refers to the #e! organising deice of the chanted sermon as 9paraphrase ariation98

9the most applied creatie mode in the "hole blac# 

"orld$$$9+( and an art form basicall! alien to traditional 7uro@centric aesthetics$ He describes it as 9a ar!ing@repetitie@circling around a tonal6 rh!thmic or te&tual 2basic formula2$9+& +t is6 "ithout doubt6 a most highl! regarded artistic abili! "ithin the culture$ The declamation form of sermon line is a linear shape "here recitation sta!s mainl! on one note$ The technique of 9paraphrase ariation9 groups these lines into larger sections$

These groups deelop through the use of d!namics$

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