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 #$$$
School of Music Victorian College of the Arts Uniersit! Uniersit! of Melbourne
Statement of a%thenti!ity
This thesis is the original "or# of Tom Tom Vincent$ Vincent$ %here the research of other authors has been discussed it has been referenced in the te&t$
Tom Vincent 'ctober
Content&
*ore"ord Chapter
+ntroduction
Chapter ,
Biograph!
Chapter -
.iterature /eie"
Chapter 0
Musical +nfluences
Chapter 1
Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod
Chapter 4
The *inal 5ear of Coltrane2s Modal 3eriod6 Three Musical 7&les8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Brasilia9 9Transition9
Chapter :
Conclusion
Appendi& A
Transcriptions of Co Coltrane2s +mproisations8 9Ac#no"ledgement9 9Bra;ilia9 9Transition9
Appendi& B
Chronolog! of of th the /e /ecordings ma made of of Co Coltrane from m follo"ing his lead$ He>s done a lot to open m! e!es to "hat can be done$$$$+ feel indebted to him6 m!self$ Because6 actuall!6 "hen he came along6 + "as so far in this thing LGiant Steps chordsI6 + didn>t #no" "here + "as going to go ne&t$ And + don>t #no" if + "ould hae thought about ?ust abandoning the chord s!stem or not$ + probabl! "ouldn>t hae thought of that at all$ And he came along doing it6 and + heard it6 + said6 L%ell6 that must be the ans"er$ $$$Since + hae a piano6 "e hae to consider it6 and that accounts for the modes that "e pla!6 but$$$after a "hile6 that>s going to get a little monotonous to do it on eer! song6 so there probabl! "ill be some songs in the future that "e>re going to pla!6 ?ust as 'rnette does6 "ith no accompaniment from the piano at all @ e&cept on ma!be the melod!6 but as far as the solo6 no accompaniment$22
Coltrane greatl! admired t tell him "hat chords6 + said6 P+>m through "ith it$> And so he>s on his o"n6 and +>m going on m! o"n6 seeQ$$$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$$$African structural concepts ma! hae influenced him too @ %est African drumming groups "ill repeat one section until the leader gies a
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cue to go onto the ne&t6 much as Coltrane does in 9M! *aorite Things9 'ctober 4DI9$2( The influence of +ndian music is clear in pieces such as 9+ndia9 (4)6 a chant that remains constantl! on G pedal point$ 3orter posits the influence of the =orth +ndian st!le of sitar improisation6 also 9$$$perhaps in the "a! he li#es to repeat and deelop short moties in his improisations$92&
This is arguable$
Since the
publication of 3orter2s "or#6 3utschgl has made an anal!sis of the st!listic characteristics of the American Afro@oral tradition$
Since the appearance of
3utschgl2s "or#6 it seems li#el! that Coltrane2s t!pical forms of repetition and deelopment of short moties in his improisations 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 /ai 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 /ai 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$$$$There>s a lot of modal music that is pla!ed eer! da! throughout the "o rld$ +t>s particularl! eident in Africa6 but if !ou loo# at Spain or Scotland6 +ndia or China6 !ou>ll discoer this again in each case$ +f !ou "ant to loo# be!ond the differences in st!le6 !ou "ill confirm that there is a common base$ That>s er! important$ Certainl!6 the popular music of 7ngland is not that of South America6 but ta#e a"a! their purel! ethnic characteristics @ that is6 their fol#loric aspect @ and !ou>ll discoer the presence of the same pentatonic sonorit!$ +t>s this uniersal aspect of music that interests me and attracts meE that>s "hat +>m aiming for$92
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2%"orth
Bndian sitar Airtuoso.
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Coltrane "as searching for no less than the elements that constitute a transforming po"er in music$ +>e alread! been loo#ing into those approaches to music @ as in +ndia @ in "hich particular sounds and scales are intended to produce specific emotional meanings$$$ + "ould li#e to bring to people something li#e happiness$ + "ould li#e to discoer 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 receie all the mone! he needed$ But "hat are these pieces and "hat is the road to trael 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 moties$ This contrasts "ith most ?a;; and %estern music in general6 "hich builds on a basic structure of ma?or and minor chords$ 3orter obseres that 9This gies 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 ferour gies his music astounding po"er931 3orter goes on to ma#e a #e! obseration6 "hich "as later to be ta#en up and e&plored so aluabl! b! 3utschgl8 9The "a! he builds his solos b! deeloping 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 ,-$ 3Porter
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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 improisational inspiration is deried 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 conenience6 but the term is not necessaril! definitie$ 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 eer! bar or t"o and usuall! t"ice in one bar$ Melodic naigation through the eer changing chord related scales of bebop requires of the improiser a er! different conceptual approach from that required b! modal ?a;;$ These t"o contrasting tonal approaches fuelled Coltrane2s deelopment 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 lie and recorded6 is discussed in Chapter ,$ Songs from a ariet! of genres "ere reitalised b! Coltrane2s treatment$ Through 3utschgl2s deconstruction of the final recordings of 9Mr 3C9 and 9Traning +n9 from 'ctober and =oember of 4-6 he demonstrates the stri#ing ariet! of innoatie "a!s in "hich Coltrane2s modal st!le of pla!ing reitalised 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 motiic formula replaced the chord sequence as the ma?or structural deice$ %ithin this ne" open modal st!le of pla!ing Coltrane used identifiable structural techniques both in the oerall form of his solos and also in the actual melodic phrases$ thoroughl! anal!sed b! 3utschgl and 3orter$
These techniques hae been
The! obsere 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 deelopment of that time of his most influential music too# place "ithin the basic st!listic confines of formulaic improisation6 ho"eer far it ma! hae traeled from the formulae of bebop$ 3utschgl usefull! anal!ses the characteristics of Coltrane2s structurall! innoatie melodic lines of this period6 and the "a! in "hich his permutations of pentatonic scales created ne" melodic combinations of interals$ +n this e&panded s!stem of pentatonics can be heard the distinctie non@"estern melodic influences discussed in the preious Chapter$ Coltrane incorporated the tripartite diision of the octae6 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!$ 3utschgl 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! conentional 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&
3utschgl2s "or# is rich in its detailing of the analogous nature of Coltrane2s structural methods and e&pressie 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! eident as a means of melodic organisation in Coltrane2s modal deelopment$ Second8 He outlines a principle of controlled d!namic and dramatic increase6 a form of 9ecstaticisation96 designed to stimulate the gro"ing emotional inolement of the listener$ Techniques include "hat 3utschgl 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&pressie 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$ 3utschgl aptl! ac#no"ledges the importance of ones6 particularl! the strong d!namic significance and e&pressie po"er of his characteristic ternar! groupings "ithin his as!metrical forms of moement$ This st!le of drumming gae Coltrane ma&imum fle&ibilit! and support$ +n an interie" in 4-6 Coltrane comments on the d!namics of the rh!thm section8 +t is necessar! to hae a firm beat going6 (but) it2s not necessar! to hae eer!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 gie !ou at eer! 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 indiiduals pla!ing$ The! hae to reall! feel this "a!6 and the! hae to hae er! good sounds$ The! hae 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
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this leel 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 inestigates Coltrane2s modal st!le in its final phase6 from =oember 40 to s telling us that God is eer!"here @ in eer! register6 in eer! #e! @ and he>s sho"ing us that !ou hae to discoer 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$93% a;; improisation in music is analogous to the e&periential rather than the doctrinal approach in religion$ 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 receptiit! 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 fie months after the recording of A Love Supreme Coltrane2s st!le deeloped considerabl! during these interening months$ +n 9Bra;ilia9 "e find the beginnings of Coltrane2s moe into his post@modal period$ There is continuing deelopment of modal ocabular! and this is mar#ed b! increased motiic and paraphrastic ariation$ The improisator! settings are less delineated b! harmonic preconceptions$ At this crossoer point bet"een Coltrane2s modal and post@modal periods6 the eight bar or start@of@chorus sign@posts appear to dissole$ 9Bra;ilia9 combines the use of metricall! free sections "ith quarter time6 four beat s"ing feel$
+t deelops 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"ele@tone passages$ The "or# incorporates pentatonics6 "hole tone scales and deriations of Coltrane2s 9Giant Steps9 ocabular!$ 'nl! the theme and the coda are pla!ed in free meter6 in "hat 3utschgl calls the 9cantillation9 st!le$ The deolopment of this free st!le is a basic departure from the formal rh!thmic conentions of ?a;;$ 3utschgl locates its origin in the blac# Gospel solo conentions$
The bod! of the "or#6 "hich is more conentionall!
modal6 consists of improisations 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"ele@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 oerall form consists of a sa&ophone solo follo"ed b! a piano solo follo"ed b! another sa&ophone solo$ 7ach t"ele@tone ro" of the theme is comprised of three four@note cells$ %ithin the ?u&taposition of the t"o t"ele@tone ro"s6 the motion is contrar! for the first seen 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"ele@tone ro" B)6 "hich creates a fie note cell consisting of the four smallest interals in our %estern scale$ As a final cell6 it has an apt qualit! of closure brought about b! the use of smaller and smaller interals$ This is a er! subtle construct$
There "as an increasing degree of abstraction in the structuring of
Coltrane2s melod! as his modal "or# deeloped$ This tendenc! ma! not hae been deliberate6 but as Coltane sa!s6 95ou hae to do a lot of "or# consciousl!6 then !ou can leae 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 een more "riting than practicing6 and !ou #no" ho" much time he spent practicing$93$ %hen the improisations in 9Bra;ilia9 are anal!sed6 although relationships are less clearl! eident than the! are in his modal "or# of preious !ears6 there is too much
3 3orter ,D1$ 3$"at
Hento 1$%liner notes to Transition CD.
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coherence of structure at all leels for the piece to hae been composed spontaneousl!$ The theme of Coltrane2s composition 9Miles2 Mode96 recorded in 46 uses a strict t"ele@tone ro" immediatel! follo"ed b! its retrograde6 follo"ed b! improisations based on the tonalit! of C minor$ +n the improisations in 9Bra;ilia96 the t"ele tone s!stem appears to hae been abandoned again$ The improisations are loosel! based in 7b minor$ %hen as#ed about improising in the t"ele tone method he said 9s the feeling that counts during improisationI$ 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 ino#ed b! the use of paraphrastic repetition$9+1 3utschgl argues persuasiel! that 9some of the most conincing 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 creatie and e&pressie features of Afro@American performatie 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
the most intense forms of e&pressie and communicatie elements$$$of these ritualsI$9 ++ 3utschgl refers to the #e! organising deice of the chanted sermon as 9paraphrase ariation98
9the most applied creatie mode in the "hole blac#
"orld$$$9+( and an art form basicall! alien to traditional 7uro@centric aesthetics$ He describes it as 9a ar!ing@repetitie@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$
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