Best Coltrane Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“My father was a jazz tenor sax player. He played in a lot of big bands. So I had that sound around me all the time. The first record that really caught my ear was Clifford Brown's 'Brownie Eyes.' I grew up listening to John Coltrane and Illinois Jacquet. This is where I come from... I love improvisational music.”

Firsts Bigs Eye Father Sound Records Player Listening Grew Band Grew Up Ears Jazz Caught Brown Illinois Tenors Coltrane Brownies

Author:Meshell Ndegeocello

“John Coltrane - I've been listening to the 'Trane again. It blows you away, because I know more now and I hear more now and I had a life that I've lived!”

Knows Listening Blow Coltrane

Author:Alan Vega

“When somebody turned me on to a Coltrane record around seventh grade, I took up saxophone.”

Records Grades Saxophone Coltrane Seventh Grade

Author:Tom Verlaine

“Coltrane was moving out of jazz into something else. And certainly Miles Davis was doing the same thing.”

Moving Jazz Miles Moving Out Coltrane

Author:Jan Garbarek

“I remember when A love Supreme was released - I heard it at a friends house. ... Man it was incredible. That record sounded different than the rest. I was trying to gather my spirituality together, trying to get an understanding of life ..... I felt Coltrane was the first musician who made a transition from one side to the other.”

Men Trying Firsts Made Different Together Remember Spirituality House Felt Understanding Sides Records Heard Musician Incredibles Supreme Transition Remember When Coltrane

Author:Maurice White

“Listen to John Coltrane enough and after two bars, just two bars at any place, and you know that's him. We all have signature things that happen to be similar that you can predict and you try to stay away from that except the rhythms: those pauses, they're part of my signature, the part where I know when I say nothing, I already painted enough, led enough and I don't even have to say anything. But those pauses don't belong to me. Jack Benny was one of the first guys in comedy to make the anticipation so great that during the pause people start to laugh before the execution.”

People Knows Trying Firsts Two Enough Happens Guy Laughing Comedy Bars Rhythm Anticipation Execution Pauses Say Anything Signatures Coltrane

Author:Bill Cosby

“I think the important thing to understand first and foremost about Michael Jackson is that he was the international emblem of the African American blues spiritual impulse that goes back through slavery - Jim Crow, Jane Crow, up to the present moment, through a Louis Armstrong, through a Ma Rainey, through a Bessie Smith, all the way to John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone.”

Thinking Way Firsts Important Moments Spiritual Slavery Important Things International African American Impulse Present Moment Jane Crow Franklin Armstrong Jim Crow Emblems Nina Coltrane

Author:Cornel West

“Everyone on the set has a mobile phone, and I found by pushing a few buttons, they could be programmed into different languages. I fixed Robbie's Coltrane to speak in Turkish.”

Different Found Speak Language Phones Fixed Pushing Buttons Mobile Turkish Mobile Phones Different Languages Coltrane

Author:Daniel Radcliffe

“My own musical background is based in the blues, and in classical composition. I grew up listening to Muddy Waters, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Beethoven and Bach.”

Water My Own Listening Grew Grew Up Musical Miles Backgrounds Composition Rama Muddy Coltrane

Author:Frederick Lenz

“For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.”

Poet Musician Tone Tempo Coltrane

Author:Cornel West

“I take my fundamental cue from John Coltrane that says there must be a priority of integrity, honesty, decency, and mastery of craft.”

Honesty Integrity Fundamentals Priorities Crafts Mastery Decency Honesty Integrity Coltrane

Author:Cornel West

“John Coltrane is still probably one of the greatest musicians of this century. His tone truly puts demons on a leash. His gift is directly from the mind of God and is very powerful. ..... The first time I heard a Love Supreme, it was really an assault. It could've been from mars as far as i was concerned, or another galaxy. I remember the album cover and the name, but the music didn't fit into the patterns of my brain at that point. It was like someone trying to tell a monkey about spirituality or computers, you know, it just didn't compute.”

“Some musicians, man, you hear the note almost before they hit it. Jimi, Coltrane and Charlie Parker were like that.”

Men Music Musician Notes Charlie Coltrane

Author:Carlos Santana

“As much as I think John Coltrane belongs on the list, I think without Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, both of whom defined improvising on the tenor sax, there would not have been the evolution of the craft by John Coltrane.”

Thinking Has Beens Young Evolution Lists Crafts Defined Improvising Tenors Coltrane Lester Young

Author:Herbie Mann

“Style to me is incidental. The British are very adept at creating it for its own sake, but the best style is incidental. John Coltrane had a style but it was totally incidental to what he was.”

Style Creating Sake British Adept Coltrane

Author:Tom Verlaine

“I'm aware of Yusef Lateef and Sun Ra and John Coltrane. My music cup runneth over. I try to encourage people: don't cut anything off, don't limit yourself. Give it a good listen: you might find something in that goofy Sun Ra noise, that dissonance. Before I learned 'official musicality' - which you should avoid at all costs - I listened to some Sun Ra and Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane and that's where 'Journey to the Center of the Mind' came from. When you intentionally and aggressively pursue musical communication with those powerfully impactful musical geniuses, you will pick up something.”

People Giving Should Trying Mind Might Sun Cutting Journey Communication Genius Cost Limits Picks Musical Noise Pursue Cups Officials Goofy Dissonance Coltrane Musicality Musical Genius

Author:Ted Nugent

“I have learned as much about writing about my people by listening to blues and jazz and spirituals as I have from reading novels. The understatements in the tenor saxophone of Lester Young, the crystal, haunting, forever searching sounds of John Coltrane, and the softness and violence of Count Basie's big band - all have fired my imagination as much as anything in literature.”

“The way so many musicians slavishly imitated Coltrane, that's the way it was with Charlie Parker - only even more so, if that can be imagined. Everyone that I knew changed totally. But they took the worst things of his playing-that harsh sound; it just didn't come off the way they did it. The way he did it was great, Their way wasn't good at all. I just would listen to 'em, say: 'That's a Bird imitator', and that would be it; I would never care to listen to them again.”

Ifs Way Would Be Care Sound Worst Changed Musician Bird Ems Harsh Worst Things Charlie Imitator Coltrane

Author:Art Pepper

“I took LSD and listened to Coltrane a lot; a lot of people did.”

People Lsd Coltrane

Author:Sam Andrew

“Out of Coltrane's whole history, there are things which I think are great from all the periods.”

Thinking Whole Periods Coltrane

Author:Lee Konitz

“The chords in 'Light My Fire' are based on [John] Coltrane's version of this song. He just solos over A minor and B minor, which is exactly what we did. Coltrane had played with Miles on Kind of Blue and took the idea of modal soloing over one or two chords farther out than anybody. He was a real pioneer - he just kept evolving, going where no one had ever gone. He could always attain this state of ecstasy when he played. Live, there was so much energy, you couldn't believe it. He would play for hours. It was indescribable.”

Believe Kind Two Ideas Real States Play Light Song Energy Hours Gone Fire Blue Miles Versions Evolve Ecstasy Minors Solo Chords Pioneers Indescribable Coltrane Kind Of Blue

Author:Robby Krieger

“It was Miles Davis who took me to New York, and Coltrane was in the band, as well as Paul Chambers, Philly Jo Jones. 'Trane took me aside, and, of course, we did Blue Trane, which was my first album-and that started everything. He had confidence that I didn't have; he saw something that I didn't see.”

Firsts Wells Courses Saws New York Band Blue Albums Miles Chamber Coltrane

Author:Curtis Fuller

“Well, you know, the first step I took was to drop the alto and baritone and concentrate on tenor exclusively, a decision I've never really looked back on with any regret. Another thing was that I was 17 when I moved up there, and my listening had really focused on freer music in the previous couple of years- Coltrane was playing with his expanded group, and everyone was listening closely to that, and we were into Shepp and Ayler as well.”

Knows Years Firsts Wells Decision Steps Groups Regret Listening Couple Moved Focused First Steps Tenors Coltrane Baritones

Author:David S. Ware

“I love music/sounds that have a passion, a fire, an energy I can connect with. I love angry sounding beat tracks, dark sounds for sure but I also love delicate sounds, they both connect I think. Discharge back in 1980 was a big explosion in sound for me to hear the anger and the energy, still an influence on me. Miles Davis has been an influence, as much as John Coltrane, Brian Eno, John Hassel. So much around me has influenced me: my everyday life, everything around me, the family, etc.... It has an impact.”

“I remember when my father was dying, I remember listening to Bjork, and listening to John Coltrane, and these things, and I don't know why but music has the power to transcend your physical being and take you up just a little bit.”

Knows Littles Remember Father Bits Dying Listening Little Bit Remember When Coltrane

Author:Wayne Coyne

“Coltrane had a sax, Dale Earnhardt drives a race car and everybody has their tools.”

Race Car Tools Race Car Coltrane

Author:Talib Kweli

“It's interesting to get older and realize that part of your job growing up in this profession is to help the next generation. More and more, with Boyhood and with Ellar Coltrane and with Emma [Watson], I start to see that role. There's no better way. Nobody wants advice, so you can't really give it. You just have to try to wish them well on their journey.”

Way Want Giving Trying Wells Helping Jobs Next Wish Realizing Interesting Roles Growing Up Growing Generations Journey Advice Profession Next Generation Better Ways Watson Emma Boyhood Coltrane

Author:Ethan Hawke

“For me, the bold jazz of John Coltrane and Miles Davis reflected the bold attitude in African-Americans finding their political identity and voice.”

Political Voice Attitude Identity Findings Jazz Miles African American Coltrane

Author:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

“I can't write anything for myself. I can write when I hear like [John] Coltrane play something; I used to write chords and stuff for him to play in one bar. I can write for other people, but I don't never write for myself.”

People Writing I Can Play Used Stuff Bars Chords Coltrane

Author:Miles Davis

“This is a tradition of resistance to the term that's as old as the term itself, especially because that term has been used to commodify and reduce black creativity, and also to appropriate and sell it. That's what John Coltrane said in an interview with a Japanese journalist: "Jazz is a word they use to sell our music, but to me that word does not exist." And he's treated as one of the central figures in the history of jazz. So if he rejected it, then why is it weird when I do it? I'm in the tradition!”

Black Term Creativity Tradition Jazz Journalist Rejected Coltrane

Author:Vijay Iyer

“Jazz musicians like John Coltrane needed these very clear titles for their abstract music, and your decision to bring voices into your music as a way to tap into content. It's related to the way my text-based work still functions as abstraction for me. If I repeat a sentence down a canvas, the text starts to smudge and disappear. It essentially becomes an abstract piece. The meaning of the text is still there.”

Decision Musician Jazz Disappear Abstract Canvas Jazz Music Jazz Musician Coltrane

Author:Glenn Ligon

“John Coltrane, he talks to god. He starts playing his solo, he might play for 14 minutes. For 14 minutes, it seems like he's talking to god, but he always takes a hold of the melody.”

Melody Coltrane

Author:Patti Smith

“I love jazz. So to me, there are two main types of jazz. There's dancing jazz, and then there's listening jazz. Listening jazz is like Thelonius Monk or John Coltrane, where it's a listening experience. So that's what I like; I like to make stuff that you listen to. It's not really meant to get you up; it's meant to get your mind focused. That's why you sit and listen to jazz. You dance to big band or whatever, but for the most part, you sit and listen to jazz. I think it comes from that aesthetic, trying to take that jazz listening experience and put it on hip-hop.”

Thinking Trying Mind Listening Dancing Jazz Focused Aesthetic Monk Really Mean Coltrane

Author:Lupe Fiasco

“Speaking for myself I have influenced with lots of John Coltrane, Van Morrison, Joanna Newsom, Mississippi Records compilations, Simon & Garfunkel, Duncan Browne, Judee Sill, Sublime Frequencies releases, Ali Farka Touré, John Fahey, Flower Travellin' Band, Sagittarius, Toumani Diabaté, Philip Glass, lots of different stuff.”

Different Flower Sublime Philip Coltrane

Author:Robin Pecknold

“I've been listening to a lot of John Coltrane. I don't know if that would or wouldn't surprise anybody. I go through different phases - sometimes I want to listen to music that's just pummeling.”

Different Sometimes Listening Surprise Listening To Music Coltrane

Author:Robin Pecknold

“My dad would play me all of these records: Miles Davis records, John Coltrane records, Bill Evans records, a lot of jazz records. My first exposure to music was listening to jazz records.”

Listening Dad Jazz My Dad Coltrane

Author:Eldar Djangirov

“I wanted to make somebody feel like Coltrane made me feel, listening to it.”

Feels Made Wanted Music Listening Coltrane

Author:Wynton Marsalis

“If you try to have a fashion show with Bach fugues and John Coltrane, it doesn't really work.”

Ifs Trying Shows Fashion Fashion Show Coltrane Fugue

Author:Isaac Mizrahi

“I grew up in the sixties watching B.B. King and Tito Puente and Miles Davis and Coltrane, everybody, Marvin Gaye, Jimi. And at the same time, with my left eye I was watching Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa.”

Eye Mother Left Grew Kings Grew Up Miles Sixty Luther Teresa Marvin Coltrane Chavez Left Eye Tito

Author:Carlos Santana

“Who ... what are they?" "My pride and glory," Alex said fondly. "Betty and Lucy Coltrane. Best damned bouncers in the business. Though of course I'd never tell them that. Fiercer than pit bulls and cheaper to run. Married to each other. They had a dog once, but they ate it.”

Said Running Courses Dog Pride Married Glory Bulls Pits Alex Cheaper Lucy Coltrane Pit Bull

Book:Something from the Nightside

Source: Something from the Nightside

“I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened to everything I could that came from that place that they call the blues but, in formality, isn't necessarily the blues.”

Kings Monk Armstrong Jelly Formality Coltrane

Author:Eric Clapton

“To me John Coltrane was like an angel on earth. He struck me that deeply.”

Earth Angel Coltrane Angels On Earth

Author:Elvin Jones

“If there's any such thing as a perfect man, I think John Coltrane was one. And I think that kind of perfection has to come from a greater force than there is here on earth.”

Ifs Thinking Men Kind Earth Force Perfect Music Greater Perfection Jazz Perfect Man Coltrane

Author:Elvin Jones

“In short, [Coltrane's] tone is beautiful because it is functional. In other words, it is always involved in saying something. You can't separate the means that a man uses to say something from what he ultimately says. Technique is not separated from its content in a great artist.”

Men Mean Use Beautiful Artist Involved Jazz Technique Tone Great Art Great Artist Coltrane

Author:Cecil Taylor

“I don't consider myself a musician who has achieved perfection and can't develop any further. But I compose my pieces with a formula that I created myself. Take a musician like John Coltrane. He is a perfect musician, who can give expression to all the possibilities of his instrument. But he seems to have difficulty expressing original ideas on it. That is why he keeps looking for ideas in exotic places. At least I don't have that problem, because, like I say, I find my inspiration in myself.”

Giving Ideas Problem Inspiration Seems Perfect Pieces Possibility Expression Musician Perfection Difficulty Originals Instruments Formulas Exotic Original Ideas Coltrane Exotic Places

Author:Thelonious Monk

“... We borrowed it all from Coltrane. I started encouraging everybody in the band to listen to John Coltrane - 'Check it out, see what these guys do.' They take one chord, the tonic chord, and just play all over it. 'We can do that too!' I wanted to make our music something really amazing - I wanted it to be jaw-dropping and turn on a dime and do all of those things that I knew music could do, and nobody told us we couldn't do it. I shouldn't say 'I,' though - Jerry Garcia was behind it the whole way.”

Way Play Whole Wanted Guy Turns Can Do Behinds Music Band Checks Over It Chords Dropping Turn-on Borrowed Jerry Dimes Really Amazing Coltrane Jaw Dropping

Author:Phil Lesh

“Bob Erlendson, a local piano player, taught me chord structure and which scales go along with them. Later, I began listening to [pianists] Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner. Then I got interested in [saxophonist] John Coltrane.”

Music Player Taught Listening Bills Structure Scales Locals Piano Bob Chords Pianist Coltrane

Author:Lenny Breau

“John [Coltrane] was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but during his time here, he kept trying to reach new levels of awareness, of peace, of spirituality. That's why I regard the music he played as spiritual music -- John's way of getting closer and closer to the Creator.”

Way Trying Spiritual Spirituality Left Levels Awareness Planets Regard Jazz Creator Visitors Coltrane Spiritual Music

Author:Albert Ayler

“John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict; Eugene O'Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who make such grand contributions to our society?”

America Posts Contribution Holiday Our Society Addict Coltrane Eugene O Neill

Author:Cornel West

“It was so interesting, when [John Coltrane] created A Love Supreme. He had meditated that week. I almost didn't see him downstairs. And it was so quiet! There was no sound, no practice! He was up there meditating, and when he came down he said, "I have a whole new music!" He said, "There is a new recording that I will do, I have it all, everything." And it was so beautiful! He was like Moses coming down from the mountain. And when he recorded it, he knew everything, everything. He said this was the first time that he had all the music in his head at once to record.”

Firsts Said Whole Beautiful Sound Interesting Music Practice Records Week Quiet Mountain First Time Jazz Supreme Jazz Music Moses Meditating New Music Coltrane

Author:Alice Coltrane

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Coltrane Quotes