Tropic Sprockets / Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary

By Ian Brockway

The legendary musician John Coltrane (1926-1967) comes to life in a new documentary by John Scheinfeld titled ”Chasing Trane.” [Showtime at Tropiccinema.com.] This lively film sketches the iconic man’s life from a humble student voraciously learning, to an accomplished musician, and finally in the end, to a spiritual visionary. The film is peppered with human anecdotes and celebrity interviews.

John Coltrane was a dedicated student of the clarinet. He consumed knowledge and learned from everyone. As his father and grandparents died within months of each other, Coltrane lived with his mother, who bought him his first saxophone.

After studying music and joining the Army the same day as Pearl Harbor, Coltrane experiences a breakthrough when he is hired by Miles Davis. The two share respect and admiration, and they complement each other. Unfortunately, Coltrane becomes addicted to heroin, but his shy and humble nature saves him from destroying relationships.

He becomes frustrated and disillusioned by his musical aspirations and hits rock bottom. It is reported that he endured a great spiritual experience, becoming incensed with helping people spiritually through his music, almost on par with a revolution.

The film is buoyed by the wondrous presence of Dr. Cornel West who speaks poetically and entertainingly with volcanic charm and charge. George Santana also appears along with the affable Bill Clinton, a jazz aficionado.

The sight of Dr. West along with the Japanese celebrity known as Fuji, an obsessive and maniacal collector of all things Coltrane, elevates the film from a sundry account to a film of verve and whimsy.

What emerges is a man of sensitive philosophy, vexed by the atomic bomb who meditates on a spiritual level and conjures a hymn of prayer as his last great work.

The older Coltrane was wracked by visions of destruction, doubt, and base selfishness brought on by his experiences with addiction. His shrieking, babbled and cacophonous later pieces crowded with discord and jumbled notes, speak of nothing less than a musical exorcism. Coltrane was a man possessed and filled with Grace.

Write Ian at [email protected].

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