Review of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"

"A Love Supreme" is often considered John Coltranes "magnum opus", his career-defining work that still remains as relevant and inspiring today as it was when it was released in 1964. This album features Coltranes classic quartet with Mccoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. All the musicians on this record contribute equally to the music, as well as standing out on their own many times throughout the recording. This record isn't meant to be put on for just enjoyment purposes, it's music that's meant to challenge any pre-concieved notions of what jazz can be, breaking down any restrictions and bounderies in its way. Throughout "A Love Supreme" are moments of triumph, anger, celebration, sadness, and reflection. To truly appreciate this album, one must completely immerse themselves in the spiraling music and approach the album with an open mind. As mentioned before, this isn't easy listening, it's not music that is "catchy" or that has a "good beat", this is music about life and all it's various emotions. This is true art in all its meaning.

"Acknowlegment", the first track of the record, begins with the classic four note theme provided by bassist Jimmy Garrison. The piano comes in as well as Jones' classic afro-cuban groove that maintains a focused theme, but includes slight changes and builds intensity throughout the track. The band provides an intense yet hypnotic framework for Coltrane's masterful solo's. Coltrane apoproaches his solos like a mad musical scientist, violently searching for melodies and often engaging in a musical conversation with himself, answering to his own leads, and elaborating on musical ideas. The music continues to build and build until it finally peaks with musical fury and intensity and stays that way for a good amount of time. The music then calms down and ends with the repeated vocal chant "A love supreme" which follows the bass line that starts the record. This is probably the most accessible track on the album, but by no means the strongest.

The second part of the suite, titled "Resolution", again begins with Garrison. He plays a dark unaccompanied intro which soon launches into a full musical onslaught with the rest of the quartet all coming in together. Coltrane plays a middle-eastern tinged melody that demands the full attention of the listener, and is supported by Jones' bombastic drumming. Elvin Jones plays with reckless abandon, adding fills and unpredictable comping throughout the track. Everyone's playing is extremely busy but it works for the music. Tyner comes in with a solo that's one of the many standout moments on the album. The solo takes many musical turns and is filled with ferocity and passion. Coltrane comes in and plays with even more intensity than is found anywhere in acknowlegement. This is probably my favorite track on the album.

The third part, titled "Pursuance" is the longest piece on the album and begins with an Elvin Jones drum solo. Elvin's solo's will most likely leave non-drummers scratching their heads as they would probably sound random and unfocused, but the truth of the matter is his solos are very musical and well-crafted. A theme is always implied, and Jones explores the theme and incorporates different dynamics and parts of the kit into his beautiful solos. As the solo comes to an end, the rest of the quartet comes in with dazzling speed and fury. Of all the parts of the suite, this is the fastest and I would argue it covers the most musical ground. The solo's are excellent as always and the musical vibe is one of passion and adventure. Tyner's playing in particular is so colorful and moving. His playing is probably my favorite part of the whole album.

The last part of the suite "Psalm" is probably the least accesible on the album, but it's a perfect closer for the record. It's evident that there's no real structure and this is mostly a  free-form piece of music. Coltranes playing is less ferocius and more delicate on this track, as is the playing from the other members of the quartet. It's a very poetic peace that gives off a certain mystique and is played beautifully. The climax of the piece leaves you feeling like you've experienced a musical journey that's like nothing else. Indeed, this is a perfect way to close the album.

Rumor has it that this record is about Coltrane's personal relationship with God, and listening to this album certainly gives off a very spiritual vibe. When looking at the different parts of the suite, "Acknowlegement, Resolution, Pursuance, and Psalm" its pretty obvious that the album has strong religious connotations. However, regardless of what's really the meaning of the album, this is music that will always stand the test of time, and will always be regarded as a genre-defining classic.

Final Group Presentation

Members: Tisha, Danielle, Matthew Britt

We did our presentation on the use of film scores in film. We briefly covered the history, different kinds of scores, and the different trends regarding the use of music in movies. We showed clips of Almost famous and Edward Scissorhands. We did a powerpoint presentation.

Group Project Summary

Group Members: Matthew Britt, Brad, Nick, Brian, Mike (I think)

-We talked about Japanese theater styles such as kaubiki and it's influence on Eisesnstein, and how it influenced his appraoch to film. With Kabuki being a very unqiue and dramatic style of theater, Eisenstein was impressed and influenced by the way everything came together in a Kabuki performance, and how elaborate the performance's were. This influence could be seen with how Eisenstein used montage in his film's; how he combined and elaborated individual shot's with other shots, building a more elaborate and dramatic picture. At the end of our presentation we showed a youtube video about Kabuki.

Matthew Britt
12/19/10
Spirit of the Beehive
Victor Erice
1973
Drama
Spanish

"The Spirit of the Beehive" is commonly reffered to as a masterpiece in Spanish filmmaking. A gloriuius film that masterfully incorporates subtle-political commentary, Spirit of the Beehive is a timeless piece of cinema that will always have a special place in the history of cinema and history in general, especially in the discourse of post-civil war Spain. The film has extraordinary depth, and while offering insightful political-scrutiny, it also deals with the isolation of childhood, and a child's reliance on the imaginary and fantasy. As mentioned earlier, the film deals with heavy symbolism pointing to a political message. Its characters, dialogue, and production all contribute to this groundbreaking and memorable film.

Chris Darke's article "Les Enfants et les Cinéphiles" The Moment of Epiphany in The Spirit of the Beehive" deals with the concept of the "epiphany" in film, and how this is transmitted to the viewer. Darke elaborates on this moment, and emphasizes the importance of such moments in film. An NY times review of the film mentions the atmosphere of "evasive silence", and how this silence within the family points to a larger picture of "evasive silence" in Spain. The review also offers a complete well-written review of the film that captures the essence of the movie.

In Darke's article, Darke speaks of the moment where Ana, the main character in the film, is watching Frankenstein, and describes her intense emotional-reaction to what she sees in a specific scene where Frankenstein interacts with the little girl (in Frankenstein) by the river. Darke describes this moment as an "epiphany" and relates this to the overall singular power of film. Although as viewers of the film, we don't exactly see what Ana sees in the movie, we see her full emotional response to what she is seeing. The filming techniques, and the use of jump shots and effective lighting allow us to fully experience this "epiphany" ourselves as viewers. I definitely can relate to this feeling , because due to the masterful presentation of this film, I felt many strong feelings throughout this film, particularly with this scene.

This film was definitely one of the best films I've ever seen. I appreciate how layered this film is; how on the surface it seems to be a story of a little girl's imaginary relationship with a fictional character, but is really about the social and political effects on a torn country forced to silence after a bloody civil war. This is without a doubt a milestone of cinema.

Matthew Britt
12/19/10
Breathless
Jean Luc Godard
French New Wave/drama
1960

Jean Luc Godard's "Breathless" was a very interesting film. It fits nicely into the period described as "French New Wave" because it deals with a youthful character defying the norms and expectations of his culture. Much like Trouffaut's "400 Blows" the film is centered around the idea of an outcast who tries to escape what he views as an imprisoning society, but ultimately fails. I enjoyed this film a lot. It gives off a certain feeling of a youthful resentment to "ordered society".

Matthew Britt
12/19/10
Luis Bunuel
Un Chien Andalou
Silent Film
Surrealism/Avant-Garde/Experimental
1929

The second film we watched in class "Un Chien Andalou", was my favorite of the semester. Certainly avant-garde; the film had a disturbing mood to it and was all about the images presented. The silent film was certainly created to inspire and challenge the audience to come up with individual interpretation's about what the film is saying. The music played a crucial part in the mood and execution of the film, and I noticed that the music had recurring themes and tones; just like the images themselves. The shots were impressive and experimental; with multiple shots becoming a new scene and evolving into something else. This was truly a unique work of art that startles and inspires. I loved this film.