Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary

A simple and lively tribute to the legendary jazzman, "Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary" charts the life and storied career of one of the giants of Popular Music. Highlighting Coltrane's tale from his difficult childhood to his late bloomer ascent in music the documentary depicts with energy and verve the man's association and works with fellow luminaries Charlie Parker and Miles Davis and to his own unique and innovative career. Priceless images and footage amplify the legend with interviews of the man's family, musical peers, biographers, critics and celebrity fans. With Denzel Washington narrating Coltrane's words Carlos Santana, John Densmore, Sonny Rollins, Bill Clinton (!) and others share their interesting tributes showing Coltrane's profound impact on those influenced by him. An unhinged Cornel West offers some amusing comic relief. Strangely Coltrane's own voice is not used in the flick and his canonization as a saint by the African church isn't discussed. Regardless of what the director thought of this it is a part of the man's legacy and should have been touched on. The film augments the legend and the myth with the background and the times the man lived in that shaped his character and outlook inspiring his one of a kind art. While nothing exemplary this colorful memorial to one of the musical titans of the 20th-Century is one Jazz and music fans should not miss.

An excellent and very watchable overview of the saxophone angel known as John Coltrane. From his early beginnings as a musician while serving in the Armed Forces, through his apprenticeship with the genius that was Dizzy Gillespie, and then on to his work with Miles Davies before his recording of his 'spiritual' album 'Love Supreme', this film interweaves the man, his music and his family life in an entertaining and thoughtful way. The feelings of those musicians he worked with (or who were simply influenced in some way by him) are palpable and evidence his genius and force of personality. For a man who died at 40 (I'd known he died young but not that young), Trane packed a lot in and left us with a fabulous catalogue of music. This film is well-worth watching whether or not you are familiar with Coltrane's music. Highly recommended.

Has to be the definitive look at Coltrane with a focus on the evolution and impact of his style and playing and songs. Not sure it's going to convince a non-jazz fan, but the diverse interviews certainly try their hardest. Great starting point for someone to get into the music and I'm sure a decent encapsulation for someone who is already a super fan. Certainly made me want to go back and revisit some albums that I haven't listened to in a while.

Beautiful portrait of John Coltrane. Written and directed by John Scheinfeld and released in 2017, this documentary describes Coltrane's life from childhood until his premature death, at age 40. It also deals with Trane's heroin and alcohol addictions, and how he rebounded by sheer willpower. His life was spared and his music improved. The documentary features many interviews of friends, fans and family members. Wonderful pictures and exclusive footage are shown. Denzel Washington lends his voice reading excerpts from interviews.

Jazz fans will enjoy this documentary, very informative.

Length: 1hr 39min

A revolution took place by the mid of the 20th century in American and world music. Jazz, which was until then music for mostly dance and mass entertainment split its ways into several distinct currents, giving birth to rock and roll, to soul, to rhythm and blues. Yes, I know this presentation is quite a simplistic view, but at that time, while other genres were taking up in entertainment dominating the hit parades, radio programs and TV shows, jazz itself evolved to a much more sophisticated form of expression. A bunch of post-WWII jazz musicians changed and developed the sound of jazz making and blew up its boundaries. Among them, together with Charlie Parker and Miles Davies, one of the most important was John Coltrane. "Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary" is dedicated to his life, music and legacy. These exceptional artists toured the world and made of jazz a universal art and one of the greatest contributions of America to the culture of the world.

The documentary written and directed by John Scheinfeld is built on a pattern used by many musical documentary films. It follows closely the life and biography of the artists, uses images filmed and recorded in concerts to illustrate his music, gathers testimonies from family, from jazz fans and experts, from the artists who worked with Coltrane and who came later and were influenced by him. Family members tell about the man he was (moving testimonies by his two step-daughters) and his personal life not avoiding the crisis related to drugs and faith. Musicians who played with him or who came after him talk about his music, and this was the part I valued most (including people like Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, John Densmore, Carlos Santana). An interesting segments speaks about his tour to Japan (his last) and the special relationship he had with this country. Coltrane seems to not have left any filmed interview, or the makers of this film did not have access to it, but he left quite a lot of memorable quotes and written stories about his life and music, which are read by Denzel Washington. The actor (who does not appear in the film) bears actually an amazing physical resemblance with Coltrane, so if there ever (or soon) will be a feature film about him, he is the best candidate for the lead role. It is music however that speaks best, and if you have the chance to watch this film and listen to the soundtrack in a cinema with good audio conditions, it will be a win. It's not a ground-shaking documentary film, but it's a complete and respectful homage to one of the greatest musicians in history, a man who in a rather short life and career changed the course of music taking it into new territories.