"Alabama" John Coltrane and Martin Luther King
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- This is a section of Steve Rowland's radio documentary "Tell Me How Long Trane's Been Gone". Produced/directed by Rowland, written by Larry Abrams and narrated by Michael S. Harper. The composition "Alabama" was released in 1963 shortly after the horrific murder of 4 Little Girls in a church in Birmingham, AL. Some jazz writers have claimed that the tune is NOT about these 4 girls. We disagree and think this shows that Coltrane might have memorized parts of Martin Luther King's moving eulogy and based his composition on the words. See what you think!
John Coltrane stated specifically that he was moved to compose this piece after hearing of the news of the murders of the children in the church. Some (white) jazz critics are simply mistaken.
Reports are that he wrote the piece after hearing Dr. King's eulogy to the 4 girls. He extracted a rythym & a melody from Dr. King's voice, his timbre, his syntax. That's genius-level shit.
I’m not proud of my race and never will be.
I first heard this piece in 1983 when I was living in Monaco, Pa. The radio announcer play Alabama and I cried. And being an Alabama native, I relate to the love of Coltrane and Dr. King.
Thank you. Indeed, haunting song... fascinating how Coltrane may have used MLK's cadences as the basis for this piece of music. In fact, your overlaying of the tune with MLK's speech pretty much proves it I think... and it goes so deep, "God has a way of wringing good out of evil..." Coltrane managed to do that with this song and prayer. It brings the deepest grief home to your soul and at the same time brings solace. Intonation and phrasing of movement was there long before language, with its words and concepts and grammatical constructions. All great musicians are looking for that movement, to express it through their instruments and voices, and I believe that movement is the basis for all of our emotions. Coltrane's quest evolved in a whirlwind of different and ever intensifying search trails, culminating in Love Supreme.
This is a very perceptive video. "Alabama" is in fact written based on the eulogy that Reverend King gave in memory of the four little girls. McCoy Tyner told me that he saw Coltrane reading the speech and that the composition came from the as he said the "rhythm" of the speech.
thanks Dr. Simpkins! You are the man! I spoke to Dr. Billy Taylor sometime after making my documentary -and he told me that he was working at an AM radio station in NY in 1963, and that in fact that they played the eulogy on the air. It makes perfect sense to me that Coltrane would have heard the speech (including the deeply moving end "and I paraphrase Shakespeare: Good night sweet princesses, those who symbolize a new day. May the flight of angels carry thee to thy rest." So heartbreaking, so profound. I am sure Mr. Coltrane had this in his ear, in his mind, and in his heart. A friend said something really interesting to me yesterday. He said that when he heard works like Kulu Se Mama, he felt a pull to the past, to the ancestors. And listening to Alabama, he did not feel the pull to the past, but a nod to the present. Somehow I found this deeply insightful and moving to think about -and one more reason why Coltrane was such a great artist. He had that ability to guide us, to look at ourselves, through a higher collective consciousness.
And just in case there are any doubters, McCoy Tyner, Rashied Ali and Art Davis each confirmed to me personally that those tragic deaths were the inspiration of the recording. As if we really needed any 'proof'. it is all in the depth of delivery of those two giants, MLK and John Coltrane.
When the first time heard Alabama and the origin of the piece. It really moved me.
So moving.. I have goosebumps... The similarities are impressive exspecially in the end..
hey there all -- thanks for the comments. this week is the anniversary of the bombing - September 15, 1963. 51 years ago. It became, I think, a turning point in the consciousness of the nation. We all owe so much to the great John Coltrane. Peace and love, Steve
Thank you for this excellent sharing.
I first heard this while driving. I had to pull off the road to weep.
A beautiful, deeply moving piece of great relevance. So glad to have come across this today, just one day shy of the 50th anniversary of the terrorist bombing that took the lives of these four girls. It never occurred to me that Coltrane was NOT making a direct statement on this tragedy of American apartheid---why would anyone have doubted this. And the documentarian seems to have hit on a very clear correlation between Dr King's speech and this haunting melody. Arts speaks truth to power
My understanding was that 'Trane was in fact inspired by Dr. King's speech, but that at the time he composed "Alabama" he hadn't heard it, only read it - which would account for the cadence being a less than perfect match.
Beautiful. Thank you so much. I was 12 when this happened.
I remember when I first heard this segment of the documentary on the radio I was spellbound. "Alabama" is a remarkable piece but if Trane got it from this speech, well, what can I say? Truly remarkable.
John Coltrane a great musician. He was one of the greatest sax players ever heard.
oh, I'm sorry about the ads that are preceding this now. Not sure how that is controlled. I have nothing to do with it.
I think it might be the record label claiming copyright. That lets them put ads on the video and claim revenue (unfortunate that this beautiful piece has been commercialised in such a context)
Outstanding work...
I'm listening to this in public and just over heard a little kid talking about his birthday.. he said that he was born on September 15..
still love his music!!
thanks for this wonderful piece -- any idea where i can find the rest of rowland's documentary?
Thank you so much for this.
The Message is Clear Listen Hear
thanks for the video, this music means so much to me especially when i read about Malcolm X, i played the music to accompany me :)
and now i want to share with my students in Humanistic Studies class :)
by the far the best.....and i found it myself
I do not hear the same cadence.
That is not to say Coltrane was not inspired or on some level linked to this incident.
Did he not speak or write about it?
Love the music.
Mr. Mark, Coltrane did not write about it specifically. The event was so profound and so shocking that I don't imagine much had to be said. It was an act of pure terrorism. Think if someone released a song called "September" in late 2001 - we would know it was about September 11th. One interesting thing is that this was released on the album "Live at Birdland" which had already been recorded and was slated for release in January 1964. The murders were on Sept 15th, 1963. Coltrane recorded the Live at Birdland sessions in October, right after the murders and had to be thinking about them. He went into the studio to record Alabama and rushed it out to be part of the "Live" album. I think some people hear the direct connection, and some don't. That is fine. But I think there should be no doubt about the connection of the speech, the event and the melody/dirge. Coltrane was a deeply religious man and both of his grandfathers were ministers.
@@CultureWorksWest Really beautiful what you did here man. Thanks so much.
Adam Clark brought me here.
Peace God..
this is too good man
where i can buy the hole documentary?
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