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Coltrane: The Story of a Sound

Coltrane: The Story of a Sound

by Ben Ratliff (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2007

    $8.74
Synopsis

John Coltrane, who died aged 40 in 1967, is one of half a dozen truly fundamental contributors to the history of jazz. No-one - not Armstrong, Ellington or Monk, nor even Charlie Parker - inspires quite the same mystique or continuing intensity of fascination. No young saxophonist of the past forty years has been able to escape his influence, and few musicians have had their work so obsessively documented on record. This fantastic book is the first to do justice to this great musical pioneer. As well as an elegant narrative of Coltrane's life Ratliff does something incredibly valuable - he writes about the saxophonist's unique sound.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 272
 Publisher: Faber and Faber
Published: 18 Oct 2007
ISBN 10: 0571232736
ISBN 13: 9780571232734
Prizes: Shortlisted for National Book Critics Circle Awards: Criticism 2008.

Media Reviews
Ben Ratliff's Coltrane is criticism with a sense of the man. It sees the '60s anew without distorting them beyond recognition for someone who was there. It conceptualizes jazz as a still-living music. It makes you want to listen again and think some more. --Robert Christgau Ben Ratliff's Coltrane is an extraordinarily vivid account of the creative process--both that of the artist and that of the people whose works respond to his. Ratliff is such a terrific writer that he can make musical points clear even to readers who know nothing about theory. This book will be passed from hand to hand. --Luc Sante, author of Low Life and The Factory of Facts A triumphant analysis, which captures in well-chosen words the charisma of Coltrane's sound, the excitement of his journey, and the unique quality of his influence, without ever surrendering to the usual jazz book gush. Ben Ratliff's measured intelligence and readable, elegant prose, his willingness to make necessary distinctions and unsentimental judgments, earn him a place among the best critics we have. --Phillip Lopate John Coltrane's stylistic evolution in the 1950s and 60s was a signal cultural event--as much spiritual and political as technical--and one whose repercussions continue to haunt us. In taking a new look at how Coltrane changed and what those changes have meant to the musicians who followed him, Ben Ratliff brings a mercurial era lucidly to life, sometimes sharply questioning received wisdom, paying close attention to the needs and difficulties of working musicians, and underscoring the continued massive relevance of Coltrane's music.--Geoffrey O'Brien, author of Sonata for Jukebox
Author Bio
Ben Ratliff, son of American and British parents, is the jazz critic of the New York Times and the author of Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings.