The conception of A Love Supreme in 1964 by the famed jazz saxophonist and composer, John Coltrane (1926-1967) was a seminal moment in jazz history. The work profoundly conveys the sheer beauty and purity of saxophone; the exalted concentration of the band, and the near symphonic unity of the four movements in one grand composition of four parts. A Love Supreme isn’t just a collection of musical movements, though. At its core, it is one unified composition with an overarching deep spiritual dimension (for a detailed background to the piece, see the notes below).

Listening to A Love Supreme can tax the concentration of but the most ardent of Coltrane followers (the full piece lasts 33 minutes). The last movement, “Psalms” wins me over with the palpable outpour of heavenly grace in the face of grief and pain.

Listen: “Psalms”, 4th Movement from A Supreme Love (1965). Composed and performed by John Coltrane.

Historical Notes on the Recording of ‘A Love Supreme’

John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme in December of 1964 and released it the following year. He presented it as a declaration that his musical devotion was now intertwined with his faith in God. In many ways, the album mirrors Coltrane’s spiritual awakening (in 1957) that grew out of his personal troubles, including a long struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.

Coltrane didn’t always stay the clean course. As he wrote in the album’s notes, “As time and events moved on, I entered into a phase which is contradictory to the pledge and away from the esteemed path. But thankfully now, through the merciful hand of God, I do perceive and have been fully re-informed of his omnipotence. It is truly a love supreme.” So, the album is, in many ways, a reaffirmation of faith. And the suite lays it out in four phases: “Acknowledgement,” “Resolution,” “Pursuance” and “Psalms.” 

~ These notes are edited excerpts from Eric Westervelt, The Story of ‘A Love Suprem’, National Public Radio, March 7, 2012, https://www.npr.org/2000/10/23/148148986/a-love-supreme.