John Coltrane Centennial: La Tempestad Explores His Legacy Through Six Musical Themes
Born in Hamlet, North Carolina, on September 23, 1926, John William Coltrane made a significant impact on music. In 1972, his wife, Alice Coltrane, released the album Infinity, which featured four tracks from 1965-1966 that faced criticism from drummer Rashied Ali. A tragic event on September 15, 1963, when a Ku Klux Klan attack in Birmingham, Alabama, claimed the lives of four children, inspired Coltrane to create "Alabama," with the melody believed to echo Martin Luther King, Jr.'s eulogy. Amiri Baraka provided the liner notes for the album containing this piece. Coltrane's collaboration with Thelonious Monk was crucial, despite the absence of recordings. He married Juanita "Naima" Austin in 1955, dedicating "Naima" to her in 1960. The article also suggests six YouTube videos.
Key facts
- John William Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina.
- In 1972, Alice Coltrane released Infinity, overdubbing strings, harp, and piano on four tracks recorded in 1965 and 1966.
- Drummer Rashied Ali criticized Alice Coltrane's alterations, saying she was rewriting the Bible.
- A Ku Klux Klan terrorist attack on a Birmingham, Alabama church on September 15, 1963, killed four minors.
- Coltrane composed "Alabama" days after the attack; legend says the melody follows Martin Luther King, Jr.'s eulogy.
- Amiri Baraka wrote the liner notes for the album where "Alabama" first appeared.
- Thelonious Monk's 1957 Five Spot residency led to Coltrane's New York breakthrough after Monk ousted Cecil Taylor.
- Coltrane's first wife, Juanita "Naima" Austin, inspired the 1960 composition "Naima," originally on Giant Steps.
Entities
Artists
- John Coltrane
- Alice Coltrane
- Rashied Ali
- Thelonious Monk
- Cecil Taylor
- Norman Mailer
- Miles Davis
- Wilbur Ware
- Shadow Wilson
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Amiri Baraka
- Lewis Porter
- A.B. Spellman
- Juanita "Naima" Austin
- Pharoah Sanders
- Nellie Monk
Institutions
- Ku Klux Klan
- Five Spot
- Carnegie Hall
- La Tempestad
Locations
- Hamlet
- North Carolina
- United States
- Birmingham
- Alabama
- Philadelphia
- New York
- Paris
- France