ankit mehra trane on the track
March 01, 2018, by Ankit
“We were too musical for certain rooms.” Johnny Coltrane embodied the we previously discussed wherein we found that at times solo acts and group acts required different atmosphere’s to truly thrive. The idea of individual performance versus group performance truly epitomizes the talent level required to thrive in different atmospheres. Coltrane’s quote effectively shows how jazz differed despite being the same genre, giving it an essence of flexibility that created prestige the genre attained - as Coltrane put it “it was my education to the older generation.” Coltrane’s star studded demeanor made it so that jazz had a face to pair with the likes of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. The effect Coltrane created as a solo act was the same effect as a star studded athlete scoring a touchdown - he was able to attract crowds, learning from the workings of Charlie Parker-directed bands, allowing for his own form of music to truly thrive. Attempting to cultivate his own personal style for the world to hear, Coltrane said “you can only play so much of another man.” allowing him to truly thrive in the industry and create the cult following we currently see surrounding him all these years later on. Coltrane also built his figure up to be more than just the music, adding personality to his performance as publications labelled him as “angry,” seemingly giving him an anti-hero personality. “If it is interpreted as angry, it is taken wrong. The only one I’m angry at is myself when I don’t make wha to trying to play,” Coltrane says, leading to the fuddled view into his life. All in all, what we see from Coltrane is the involvement of jazz in culture, adding to the folklore created surrounding his work and figure. Coltrane is a representation of the strength of small band jazz as his performances cultivated a genre that lives on today in modern culture.