Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
My Point is ... is drummer Willie Jones III’s most recent long-playing album.
(Photo: Anna Yatskevich)A prime example of one such interstitial tributary was Jones’ tenure with Cedar Walton, who worked steadily with Higgins from the early ’70s until shortly before Higgins’ death in 2001. “Higgins would bring Cedar to his workshop,” Jones said. “Cedar taught us his songs, and listened to us play, critiqued us. I didn’t get close to him then, though once he called me for a couple of gigs. I knew his book the first time I played with him. After I moved to New York, he’d call me as a sub, and in 2008 I started playing with him all the time. Playing through Cedar’s songbook and his arrangements took my playing to an even more musical level.”
Having cultivated WJ3 to the point where it is self-sustaining, Jones plans to remain on the DIY pathway that Higgins advocated so assiduously. “It’s a self-investment,” Jones said. “I’m not making a profit, but I’m not losing any money. I’ve become more proficient at putting out each project. If a major label came along and said, “Not only will we put your project out, but we’ll send you on the road for a tour” or something like that—which we know isn’t going to happen ... . But under those circumstances, I would jump at the opportunity.”
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
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“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
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“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
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