John Coltrane was the last great innovator, a man whose music still overshadows the jazz world over a quarter of a century after his death. He was also a key figure of the Sixties, at least as much a central cultural force of his time as the Beatles or Bob Dylan. His name still provokes debate, and many of his musical achievements remain enigmatic to many listeners. In Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest, Eric Nisenson, author of ‘Round About Midnight, explores the spiritual, psychological, philosophical, and social forces that most profoundly influenced Coltrane and the creation of his daring music. Not a formal biography, Ascension examines Coltrane’s inner quest, which led him from being a journeyman rhythm and blues saxophonist, as well as a heroin addict and alcoholic, to becoming one of the greatest, and most influential, musicians America has produced. At the core of Ascension is Coltrane’s spiritual awakening in 1957, at which time he dedicated himself to reaching God through his music and simultaneously kicked both his alcohol and heroin habits. He became a man obsessed, practicing constantly when not on the bandstand, and reading voraciously all manner of texts that helped him advance along his spiritual quest. Coltrane’s view of God was anything but narrow: he studied both Eastern and Western religions; took LSD for spiritual insight; and even became fascinated with modern physics – he often mentioned Albert Einstein as being among his greatest heroes. In the Sixties, as his music grew increasingly “outside, ” and he became a father figure to a new generation of jazz Young Turks, he also was affected by the intense political tumult of the era, particularly that of the civil rights and black liberation movements. Coltrane’s effect on jazz was so great that his death left many questions to be examined; most important, why have there been no great jazz innovators, or innovations, since his death? From Coltrane’s early innovations through the effects,
