Coltrane: Chasin' the Trane

by J.C. Thomas

Always elusive, constantly moving, incessantly changing, John Coltrane stood astride the jazz world of the late ‘50s and ‘60s. He was a giant of the saxophone and a major composer. His music influenced both rock stars and classical musicians. There was a mystical quality, a profound melancholy emanating from this quiet, self-contained man that moved listeners—some of whom knew little about music but heard something beyond music's boundaries in the sounds his saxophone created. J. C. Thomas traces John Coltrane's life and career from his North Carolina childhood through his apprenticeship with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis, to its culmination in the saxophonist's classic quartet that played to steadily increasing audiences throughout America, Europe, and Japan.The author has drawn on the recollections of the people who knew Coltrane best—boyhood friends, band members like Elvin Jones, spiritual mentors like Ravi Shankar, and the women who loved him. Chasin' the Trane is the story of a man who struggled against drug addiction, studied African and Eastern music and philosophy, admired both Einstein's expanding universe and the shimmering sounds a harp makes, and left behind the enduring legacy of a master musician who was also a beautiful man.

Genres: Music, Biography, Jazz, Nonfiction, History

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography of Trane is both beautiful and informative. It does not bury you in musical scores as the Lewis Porter biography does. It presents Trane as a genius saxophonist from his childhood in North Carolina to his move to NYC, his getting picked up by Miles, how he kicked dope and how Miles launched him into his fantastic and legendary solo career. I found it highly readable and it sent me off listening to Trane classics for months afterwards.

[Frank Begbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read 😢 why did the author have to write "The Trane ride was over " when he died though the whole book was beautiful until this final line

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't consider myself much of a Coltrane fan but I got this book for free and decided to read it. This lent me some appreciation for his music, which I went and listened to as a result, but some of it is still too out there for me, although I recognize the artistry involved in it now, and have some background as to where Coltrane was coming from and how he affected people, not just musically, but personally, as well. I really love the Coltrane and Johnny Hartman collaborations. My tastes in Jazz run more to earlier stuff like Fats Waller & Sidney Bechet, and even earlier than that, King Oliver and Johnny Dodds, etc. I also really like some of the more modern Jazz of Stan Kenton and Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond. Once Jazz goes into a more free form realm, I start to get lost and it doesn't speak to me. Not that it won't ever, possibly. Still, I enjoy getting acquainted with musicians and artists that I might at first find difficult. What's life without a struggle now and then?

[Tim Edison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago so I'm probably not in a good position to review it at this point in time. I approached this book as a faithful devotee of John Coltrane's music so it was unlikely that I would be disappointed and alas I was not. The text is solid, economical and informative. This last quality is to me of the highest priority in a book such as this.

What made this such a tremendous read is of course the enthralling and inspiring story of Coltrane's life. From humble origins he rose to prominence as a rhythm and blues saxophonist only to be struck down by the pain and degradation of addiction. He overcame this through what he personally described as a "spiritual awakening" and his subsequent catalogue of music often expressed the story of this awakening - never more fully and richly portrayed than in his 1964 magnus opus "A Love Supreme".

The story of Coltrane's life is almost as extraordinary as his music, but then again his music was very much the story of his life.

[Aashish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me understand John Coltrane on a deeper level.

[Solor · Rating 5 out of 5]

The astonishing tale of a brilliant mind and an extraordinary musician - Beyond its searching lays the harmony.

[RK Byers · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book never touched on what poser Coltrane fans like me always seem to think was his greatest strength: clarity, but it was packed full of good info and insights from people that were there.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I finished this biography, setting it aside with distaste, I realized that the author is only partly responsible for my dislike. The other part is the gentle, taciturn, inwardly-looking spiritual life of Coltrane himself that does not lend itself to a compelling biography. As a man Coltrane was quiet and insular, but as a musician he was a vociferous preacher of lengthy sermons. This was a man who truly spoke only through his Art.
Regarding the Author: the writing is often overly sentimental or effulgent, especially in describing Coltrane’s childhood. Here we get treacly sweet descriptions of a seraphic boy who is destined for sainthood. It as if we are witnessing the early life of a Buddha.
Secondly, the writing is disjointed. Out of nowhere and out of context the Author constantly inserts a multitude of quotes from various people, most of which are about how much they like Coltrane jazz. No kidding. Why is this needed? We are here reading this book because we all love Coltrane! You don’t need to remind us on every page.
I understand the massive quote dump, though. As mentioned above, there is not much to write about in Coltrane’s life. So the Author needs much filler.
Lastly, there is little in depth investigation into Coltrane’s music and unique style of playing.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this and watched the Netflicks documentary on Coltrane. I also listened to 5 of his C.D.'s.

Yep, i'm more of a Miles Davis fan.

People sure do have passionate, somewhat delusional, opinions about John Coltrane and his music. No doubt, the man could blow a sax - But all his hippy civil-rights new age crap gets real annoying. As a musician: WOW! (on occasion only, yes - listen to some of his squaking squeeking noise rants. Jimi Hendrix did the same things, only more musical) But anything else? No thanks.

This biography from 1976 gives a rather dated (but closer to the source) take on Coltrane's life and work. the golden age of smokin' jazz instrumentals. I definitely learned a fair bit. Often from the great quotes from friends and legends - we even get insane babbling pseudo-spiritualizing from Carlos Santana. (YES Carlos - i'm sure you're both musical gods sent from the cosmos to bless humanity and pilfered groupies everywhere.)

It seems like many great jazz musicians just can't lay off the smack. It was a relief to see Coltrane get through it and make some great albums before he passed away. A brilliant musician. But a GOD? laughingly no. This book goes into detail about his health issues and endless mouth and teeth problems that affected his horn playing. On the funny side: there's even mention of a church that somewhat deifies him with Buddha and Muhammad and Jesus. Ummh, Just no. The book even mentions Sri Chimnoy (An Indian Guru CON-ARTIST cult leader who pretends he's a musician.)

Here's a ludicrous quote:
"After Coltrane's death, a congregation called the Yardbird Temple in San Francisco began worshiping him as God incarnate. The group was named after Charlie Parker, whom they equated to John the Baptist. The congregation later became affiliated with the African Orthodox Church; this involved changing Coltrane's status from a god to a saint. The resultant St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church, San Francisco is the only African Orthodox church that incorporates Coltrane's music and his lyrics as prayers in its liturgy."

Yep, lots of religion in this book, but mostly it's seriously confused and twisted self-righteousness from the fringe elements of the major religions. Coltrane may of had a fairly deep understanding of Jazz melodies and tone, but religion??? No. He was dumb as dirt. There's a quote in the book that has Coltrane question his Mistress hook-up as to whether she was a Christian --- cuz, he ain't having illicit sex outside of marriage (and away from his wife and daughter) with anyone but good Christian women. I'm paraphrasing of course - but that's the general idea.
Coltrane also claimed to be a Muslim, embraced bits of Buddhism, spent lots of time with Hinduism, and toyed with mystic Judaism. He learned just enough to be spiritually retarded. For some reason he never seemed to question the source of anything. He never challenged religions to their cores. Pathetically: he never noticed that Christianity states you must Worship Jesus or go to hell ---- and Islam insists that if you DO worship Jesus you will go to hell. And yet some people claim Coltrane was wise and well read. Bahahaha! He should have read slower.

But the music talk in this book was AMAZING. John's journey through the glory days of Jazz is essential reading. Even hearing about his jams in New York are priceless. Can you imagine sitting at the Half Note Club and taking in a Coltrane set? I can only dream.

[Heshima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, helped introduce me to the personality of the man who's music I loved for ever!. I have read it several times. To hear the insight of those who knew him, lived with him, loved him, and worked with him is invaluable!.

[doug bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep a poster of Coltrane in my classroom for inspiration. Other books have discussed Coltrane's musical importance, which is not minimal, but this book goes more in to the nature of his spiritual journeying and how he affected those people whom he came into contact with.

[Colin Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, apart from the slightly disjointed interjection of quotes etc.
That aside, john Coltrane wasn't just a brilliant musician, but an innovator, pushing barriers and I'm sure an inspiration for the likes of Jimi Hendrix.
Recommended.

[Michael Lauro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A telling glimpse into the hard life of a jazz musician

[Tom G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly nontraditional bio of Coltrane, contains lots of quotes and digressions that break up the text and keep things interesting. A lot of probably invented scenes as well, but I probably, shamefully, prefer an impressionistic, "emotional truth" style of biography to an accurate-but-dry recitation of facts. I'm sure there are things that J.C. Thomas gets wrong here, due to his subjective approach as well as the age of the book—I'm sure we've learned a lot in the intervening 45 years since its publication. However, if you're a fan of Coltrane and that era of jazz history where giants roamed and collaborated freely, geniuses like Coltrane and Miles were pushing the genre further than anyone could predict, and the public still had a taste for this kind of music, this is not a bad book by any means.

[J. Fosbenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

favorite quote:
________
"Reading was a natural consequence of his ever-increasing desire to know more, not just of the musical world but of the reason for his being put on this planet in the first place. A certain inclination towards philosophical speculation, perhaps an outgrowth of his introspective tendencies, possibly from his religious upbringing, and a questing for something beyond the realm of his five senses, seemed to be driving him toward a kind of fulfillment. He was exploring music books and other books, and learning from and loving both."
- J.C. Thomas, from "Coltrane: Chasin' The Trane" (1975)

[Lachrymarvm_Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Reading was a natural consequence of his ever-increasing desire to know more, not just of the musical world but of the reason for his being put on this planet in the first place. A certain inclination toward philosophical speculation, perhaps an outgrowth of his introspective tendencies [...] and a questing for someting beyond the realm of his five senses seemed to be driving him toward a kind of fulfillment. He was exploring music books and other books, and learning from and loving both."

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dated now, and there are more comprehensive bios of Trane out there, but still worth reading if you're interested in the story of the man and the people around him. Nice discography, so that's a bonus. Only down side; the 1970's style music writing hasn't aged well.

[Miriam Fitting · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great look at Coltrane's life, but gets pretty technical at times. May be more appreciated by musicians who have an understanding of composition, scales, tonality, etc.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix between the biographies "Ascension" and "Coltrane" by Ratliff. Part biography of his mind and spirituality and part actual life story. A nice read.

[Sam Nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and complete - though there's really no understanding Trane

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

II have read this many times over the years .I still love it and Coltrane

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge Coltrane fan and loved reading more about his life and music although it's difficult to read while listening to him - better to listen separately.