Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary

"Chasing Trane" is as comprehensive as a documentary about the short life of John Coltrane can get. Apart from his recordings, precious little exists about the life and career of arguably the best saxophone player who ever lived. This documentary traces his upbringing in the Jim Crow South to the pinnacle of his career - at which point he died of liver cancer. He was 40.

The filmmakers used still shots coupled with interviews with his surviving friends, family members and admirers. He never gave an interview, and when he is quoted the voice-over is Denzel Washington. Those interviewed include Cornel West, best friend Sonny Rollins, his children and -surprise- saxophonist Bill Clinton. Testimony is given regarding his musical perspective and the impact music had on his life and the lives of others. It is extremely illuminating and insightful.

I could go on and on, and suffice it to say the film is never slow or dull. It is a fast 99 minutes and it is terrific. If you are a fan of his you should go and see it. You have to.

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

John Coltrane apprenticed with all the jazz greats; developed but recovered from a heroin addiction; pioneered a style all of his own; and died tragically young, aged just 40, of liver cancer. We might think of musicians as party animals but by all accounts in this film, Coltrane was a fundamentally serious person, and a genius. The film is a fairly typical documentary, reverential in tone, with lots of his music to listen to. Also there are a lot of talking heads, and while Bill Clinton is not unintelligent in his comments, I'm not sure he's really among the best qualified people to give us insight. What's missing is any sort of musical analysis: we get to hear the man in action, but if you wanted to understand how his work fitted into, and transcended, the jazz traditon, or why it sounded so revolutionary when first released, you might be disappointed. Banal comments likening what Coltrane did on the saxaphone to what Hendrix did on the electric guitar don't really explain either. But the programme does succeed in making you like the man: unlike fellow genius Miles Davis, he seems to have been a nice person, which is quite unusual for someone so talented.