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John Coltrane: His Life and Music (The Michigan American Music Series) Paperback – January 11, 2000

by Lewis Porter (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 121 ratings
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John Coltrane was a key figure in jazz, a pioneer in world music, and an intensely emotional force whose following continues to grow. This new biography, the first by a professional jazz scholar and performer, presents a huge amount of never-before-published material, including interviews with Coltrane, photos, genealogical documents, and innovative musical analysis that offers a fresh view of Coltrane's genius.


Compiled from scratch with the assistance of dozens of Coltrane's colleagues, friends, and family, John Coltrane: His Life and Music corrects numerous errors from previous biographies. The significant people in Coltrane's life were reinterviewed, yielding new insights; some were interviewed for the first time ever.


The musical analysis, which is accessible to the nonspecialist, makes its own revelations--for example, that some of Coltrane's well-known pieces are based on previously unrecognized sources. The Appendix is the most detailed chronology of Coltrane's performing career ever compiled, listing scores of previously unknown performances from the 1940s and early 1950s.


Coltrane has become a musical inspiration for thousands of fans and musicians and a personal inspiration to as many more. For all of these, Porter's book will become the definitive resource--a reliable guide to the events of Coltrane's life and an insightful look into his musical practices.


". . . well researched, musically knowledgeable, and enormously interesting to read. Porter is a jazz scholar with deep knowledge of the tradition he is studying, both conceptually and technically." --Richard Crawford, University of Michigan


"Lewis Porter is a meticulous person with love and respect for Afro-American classical music. I applaud this definitive study of my friend John Coltrane's life adn achievements." --Jimmy Heath, jazz saxophonist, composer, educator


Lewis Porter is Associate Professor of Music, Rutgers University in Newark. A leading jazz scholar, he is the author of Jazz Readings from a Century of Change and coauthor of Jazz: From Its Origins to the Present. He was a project consultant on The Complete Atlantic Recordings of John Coltrane, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Historical Reissue, and an editor and assisting author of the definitive Coltrane discography by Y. Fujioka.

 
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  1. Print length
    448 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Michigan Press
  4. Publication date
    January 11, 2000
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    047208643X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0472086436
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lewis Porter is Associate Professor of Music at Rutgers University in Newark, where he directs the Master's program in Jazz History and Research.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Michigan Press; Illustrated edition (January 11, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 047208643X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0472086436
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.37 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 121 ratings

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Lewis Porter

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
121 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

WMOSKOWI
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
Great condition! Better than described!
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Brigid Chapin
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring Book about John Coltrane
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Lewis Porter (who I studied with thirty years ago) does the very rare thing of joining music knowledge and story telling together to help you understand both the stuff of Trane's music (what it is) and the context (Trane's life and what was happening at the time). Porter tells stories well and even though he was an academic at the time, this does not at all come off as an "academic" text. Read it when it first came out, and just re-read it. Really amazing. Trane's life and music are a huge inspiration and that all comes through.
9 people found this helpful
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AmazonFangirl
5.0 out of 5 stars The cover made it look like a children's biography
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought this book for my father who is an ardent John Coltrane fan. I've bought him every book, album and track I could find so I was really nervous about this one. The cover made it look like a children's biography, lol. He loved it! That's really saying something because he is an expert on John Coltrane. He said he learned a lot and could not put it down. I highly recommend!
16 people found this helpful
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art blackburn
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding biography !
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020
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The author has given the most detailed and thorough history, experience and story of this iconic jazz artist! It's like I know Mr. Coltrane personally!
Great job!
3 people found this helpful
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Stephen Kehner
5.0 out of 5 stars THE Definitive Text on Coltrane
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
Bought this book because it was the required text for a recent class I took on John Coltrane. Lewis Porter has certainly written the definitive document Coltrane in this book - he covers the history very thoroughly, includes some very detailed musical analysis, and shares his own investigative research with us through his extensive interviews with those who knew Coltrane. Highly recommend it!

The book arrived in a timely manner and was in great condition. Very happy with this purchase!
One person found this helpful
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Michael Panbehchi
5.0 out of 5 stars The best
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2020
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Popular opinion is that it is the best musical bio of Trane available. I'm inclined to agree.
One person found this helpful
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Ken Christensen
3.0 out of 5 stars Too Much music explanation for me
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
The biography portions of the book were excellent. But the dissection of the music and terminology was way over my head. Not the authors fault, as I am sure If I understood all the music language, it would be spot on. If you are a music person, then the music detail will mean a lot to you. Still good biographic sections on Coltrane.
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Magyar
4.0 out of 5 stars Coltrane: His Music
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2007
Verified Purchase
To fully appreciate this book the reader should certainly be able to read music. There are a multitude of scores that the reader should understand to be able to get the most out of this book. However even if you can't read music (As I can't) there is a lot to interest one in this book. Coltrane came from the Rocky Mount Section of NC. It seems ike he had an interesting, stable Family Life, though the Father does not seemed to have lived with him. Moved to Philly after High School, where he did Graduate. He was in the Service in the Mid 40s, and surprisingly was in an integrated Navy Band. I thought the services were segregated at that time.
There are also details of his two marriages.
If you can read music or at least understand scoring this book is highly recommended. If you are like me you will still probably enjoy it.
7 people found this helpful
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Amazon Müşterisi
5.0 out of 5 stars Yes!
Reviewed in Germany on December 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
A must for a jazz musicians library.
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FGuit
5.0 out of 5 stars El mejor libro sobre Coltrane
Reviewed in Spain on June 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
Excelente libro sobre “Trane”. Su infancia, sus inicios en la música, su desarrollo y principales influencias, su estilo al improvisar y componer... Libro bien documentado y en el que el análisis musical de sus solos y/o composiciones se enlazan a lo estético y a lo biográfico en todo momento, sin perder la frescura y la facilidad de lectura. Si bien se aprovechará mejor si eres músico (mejor aún si eres jazzista), el libro está escrito de manera accesible a todos los públicos: aficionados, melómanos y músicos profesionales. ¡Altamente recomendado!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Biography
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
One of the best critical biographies I have read. Porter begins by telling you, in the introduction, why his book is brilliant, and this seems a little like bragging, until you actually read the book and realise he is right to tell you what he's done and what you're in for. Uses musical examples, fully and brilliantly transcribed, is well written so that it's a page-turner, and gives brilliant insight into Coltrane - the musician, private man, onetime addict and eventual saint - whilst always maintaining a crucial objectivity and distance. It illuminates Coltrane without telling you how brilliant you should think he is. Fully recommended to anybody interested in Coltrane.
5 people found this helpful
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SwingDDT
5.0 out of 5 stars ジョンコルトレーンの決定版
Reviewed in Japan on June 9, 2010
Verified Purchase
本書が発刊される前にもJ. C. Thomas やBill Coleの書いたコルトレーン書はあるが内容的に本書には到底及ばない。本書の後に発刊された本を含めた多くのコルトレーンに関する書物はライナーノーツや関連書などの間違いを信じ込んで書かれており、リサーチ不足を露呈している。そういう本には筆者の偏見に満ちた感想や邪推はあっても、発見や本当の感動はない。

明治維新の時代（松平定教、日下部太郎など）から日本とも歴史的に係わりの深いニュージャージー州にあるラッガース大学Rutgers Universityの大学院ジャズヒストリー＆リサーチ科の設立者にてディレクター、ルイスポーター教授の会心の作。コルトレーンを知るものは必携、必読の書。本書が成したリサーチによる歴史・人物考証の示し方は、ジャズの歴史学を大きく塗り変えたのは間違いない。アメリカのアカデミック・スタンダードを上げた名著。

日本の出版社は何故、デタラメ本の翻訳ばかり推進しているのだろう？精査能力のない人間が出版社や教育機関に多くいるのは誠に遺憾である。文部科学省もジャズを日本の学校教育に取り入れる前に基本として本書やJazz: From Its Origins to the Presentを勉強して欲しい。どちらも翻訳版が待たれる。日本の国益のためにラッガース大学に渡米し、異国の地で祖国を思い、命を落とした精鋭を忘れてはならない。
5 people found this helpful
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Steve
4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible insights into the music
Reviewed in France on March 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
Porter is a musician and a lecturer of music at a US university. The book necessarily takes his perspective but it provides an unparalleled insight into Coltrane - the musician. Much of the book is over my head - hardcore music theory, and charts. I learned a lot and I persevered - because I realised through Porter - that to know Coltrane, is to know his music. Thank you Lewis Porter

BTW the book got a 4 - only because I could not comprehend large chunks of the book - not due to any shortcoming on the author's part!
One person found this helpful
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