American Routes: Of the Spiritual Strivings of Monk and Coltrane

Paul Harvey

'A Love Supreme' book coverTomorrow we're beginning our "Faces and Places of Jesus" series, and the blog will clear out all other material for that series until Easter Sunday; this I think will be the single coolest thing we've ever done on this blog.

In the meantime, for those working away on a Thursday evening as I am, just a quick reference for a program keeping me company this evening: a program on Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane on the excellent radio program American Routes, from radio station WMNO in New Orleans, happily broadcast on my wonderful local station KRCC but available online for all here. The 1st half has a nice section on some influence of hymns on Monk (including "Blessed Assurance," something I'd never noted before, but pointed out by Monk's biographer, the historian Robin Kelley), and the second half traces Coltrane's spiritual journeys through the 1960s -- familiar territory, to be sure, but nicely done here, and especially good on his background in the AME Zion Church as part of a lengthy discussion/analysis of "Love Supreme." A must listen for you blog readers who follow jazz and religion.

Comments

rjc said…
Thanks for the tip, Paul! I missed this episode but love both Monk and Trane. I'll listen for sure.

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