A Love Supreme: Acknowledgment

Part one of the suite, and the first image of the series, is "Acknowledgement." The ribbons weave through the image as Coltrane's solo weaves through the piece. Not always pretty, but coherent and beautiful. The central focus of the image is a four-leaved figure, corresponding to the quartet repeating the four syllables, "a love supreme." This series is based on John Coltrane's 1964 album, "A Love Supreme." The four-part suite was revealed to Coltrane all at once in a dream, and was recorded as a testament to his spiritual awakening. As critic Chip Stern writes, "'A Love Supreme' heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms..." The suite was performed by Coltrane's quartet of himself on tenor saxophone, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones.

 © 2001 Kerry Mitchell