Sep 30, 2021
We live in a nearly unparalleled time for the discovery of previously unreleased and archival music from jazz legends. Just recently we’ve seen important releases from Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, and Roy Brooks, with promises of more from Bill Evans and Art Blakey before the year is out. But the big one drops Friday October 22, when A Love Supreme – Live in Seattle is released, representing the first club performance of the titular suite by John Coltrane.
Due to its length and complexity, Coltrane rarely played “A Love Supreme” live. The Live in Antibes recording of a July 26, 1965, festival show in France was believed to be the only live version captured. However, in October1965 on the culminating evening of a historic week-long run at The Penthouse in Seattle, “A Love Supreme” was played in a more intimate setting. For this gig, Coltrane expanded his classic quartet by adding Pharoah Sanders on second saxophone and Donald Garrett on second bass. The tape reels containing this performance sat in the private collection of Seattle saxophonist and educator Joe Brazil, heard by a few fortunate musicians and friends-and largely unknown until now.
Author and music historian Ashley Kahn literally wrote the book on the Coltrane classic - A Love Supreme: The Making Of John Coltrane's Masterpiece. He wrote the liner notes for this release, and joins us in Podcast 851 to talk about the importance of the performance, the story of how it was recorded, and what we learn about Coltrane and his perspective on his masterwork. You’ll also get to hear a performance of the final movement of the suite, “Psalm.”