JC Represent

Yeah, so I keep telling myself I should be writing about other stuff right now, but whatever… What I feel compelled to chat about at the moment is my love of one, Mr. John Coltrane. So there.

There are few things that will stop me dead in my tracks. One would be a fabulous massage. (Uhh, probably as I'd technically be lying down at the time, but I digress.) I admit it – I’m a total massage whore… The view from the top of a mountain ridge – particularly if that vista involves any view of Mt. Rainier – will stop me in my tracks… I suppose someone pointing a gun at me might also stop me in my tracks… Whatever… But one other thing that without fail will stop me in my tracks is hearing ANYthing played by John Coltrane. It’s just a simple fact… Oooo – and mix together a massage on top of a killer ridge while listening to John Coltrane… Holy crap! ANYhoo…

The man is a freakin’ genius. It has never been of ANY surprise to me that there is an actual church dedicated to John Coltrane. Sign me up – I’m in. I’m gonna tithe. Seriously – there is just something other-worldly about the way he plays – about the tone he brings forth... I mean, have you listened to ‘A Love Supreme’ lately? Or perhaps ‘Ballads’?! I challenge you to walk away from listening to these albums unchanged. I challenge you to walk away from listening to him play and not believe that his tragically short life was nothing less than inspired.

I will be very honest and say that I am not a huge fan of the saxophone. I’m just not. For the most part, I think it sounds like a strangled goose. I’ve been listening to the instrument for the majority of my life and my opinion just hasn’t changed. I even come from a family of woodwind players. Crap, I play clarinet, myself. (an instrument I love) I don’t know what to say – I’m just not a fan… Okay – maybe the bari or the tenor… But then, I guess it makes sense – I just loooooove those low-end instruments. (Duh.) And yes, there are the saxophone exceptions – both from the past and present of the musical realm - but in general, the instrument is just not my cup of tonal tea.

I don’t really know quite how to describe his music because it’s so much more than just music. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a belief. It’s a culture. It’s a religion. It’s an all-encompassing feeling. It’s just a flat-out way of being.

There are few other musicians that I can come up with off-hand, that meet these criteria. However, there are indeed a few… Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa… Please check them out. They rock my world – I hope that they will rock yours…

But back to John…

I could be standing at the gates of tragedy (I am) and crying on the doorstep, (I am) but if I take just a few minutes to pop in a JC disc, things miraculously seem to improve. All of the sudden, I gain this hitherto unknown perspective on the state of things. Some sort of higher understanding presents itself and everything seems to fall into place…

Again, it now makes so much sense to me why there is an actual church dedicated to John Coltrane. There is just this certain degree of faith and enlightenment that presents itself when I’m listening to JC. (HEY! That’s pretty freakin’ funny! JC = Jesus Christ. JC also = John Coltrane! Coincidence? :)P ) Well, whatever the case, all I know is that I have faith that every time I plug in some JC, things are going to get better. It’s just a fact. For me, anyway... ;)

So yeah, not to cut this short, but I gotta get back to listening to JC. I’m currently listening to ‘A Love Supreme’ and trying to look at the world from a ‘glass half full’ sort of perspective. As difficult of a task as this is right now, JC is definitely helping me to keep things in check. And I guess I don’t have a massage or a breathtaking view to accompany my journey right now, but I do have a few Deschutes ‘Jublelale’ to add to my pilgrimage… Sometimes you just gotta compromise… Heh heh…

So yeah - take care! And listen to some freakin’ John Coltrane!!!