If you have stuck it out thus far on our little romp through jazz land, then you knew this day was going to come. Perhaps you were savvy enough to know that John Coltrane played on the “Kind of Blue” sessions. Maybe my incessant references to the man made it predictable that he would show up at some point. Or maybe you thought “Hey, John Coltrane, he’s famous! Let’s talk about him.”
Let’s talk about John Coltrane. First of all, he’s a big dude. Big hands on that small instrument. Why, with all of that power, does he not crush that thing? If he had known what Kenny G was going was going to do with it, he might have. In fact, that’s one of the attracts of the music. It could come crashing down at any moment, or perhaps spontaneously explode into little bits. Somehow, it all comes back together.
An in between there are incredible flights on soprano wings or piano keys. McCoy Tyner plays piano here, and he is pretty badass if you ask me. The whole band, really, is solid. What did you expect? Something more wonky? I’ve got something more wonky from John Coltrane. He can get pretty intense, and that’s why people love him. If you are into it, he takes you to new places. He was a very spiritual guy that way. Enough so that, if you don’t want to go, he doesn’t think that’s any big deal either.