A birthday of note - Trane turns 82

John Coltrane has often been called a "searching" musician. His literally wailing sound--spearing, sharp and resonant creates what might be best described as an ominous atmosphere that seems to suggest (from a purely emotional standpoint) a kind of intense probing into things far off, unknown and mysterious. Admittedly such a description is valid only in a personal way but "searching" remains applicable to Trane in view of actual fact. He is constantly seeking out new ways to extend his form of expression--practicing continually, listening to what other people are doing, adding, rejecting, assimilating--molding a voice that is already one of the most important in modern jazz.

Robert Levin (1957)


Was there ever so gentle a man who impelled people to scream?

Nat Hentoff (1997)