I have a small but highly acclaimed jazz collection. This is the jewel, my favorite, only tied by kind of blue in quality. An essential, not for jazz lovers, but rather music lovers.

My friend is in search of his interpretation of God. So I gave this cd to him to help him on his quest. I hope he finds what he is looking for. <3

I have the deluxe edition that includes the Antibes performance of A Love Supreme as well as that "lost" recording with Archie Shepp and Art Davis. I don't think this additional material is all that necessary unless you are a student of this man's music.

The actual release "A Love Supreme" is a recording that belongs in every serious music collection. This is wonderful, inspired music. It is the pinnacle of Coltrane's career, no question. Everything about Trane's music changed from this point forward. A Love Supreme is a summation of all his previous work and an introduction to the music to come. It is probably the most sincere, heartfelt work ever release by a "jazz" musician, perhaps any musician.

There are two recordings in post-bop jazz that transcend everything else. 1. Kind of Blue
2. A Love Supreme

If you are a musician, the Lewis Porter biography is an essential companion to A Love Supreme. It contains detailed analysis of Trane's approach to improvisation on this masterwork.

One amazing fact about this release is that it was put together with very little rehearsal and preparation. The music was not fully written out for that matter. Given this information, it's amazing how PERFECT this recording and the performances of all of the musicians, both collectively and individually really is.

In summary, A Love Supreme is one of America's finest contributions to world culture and a high point in the creative spirit of humanity. What more can be said?

John Coltrane-A Love Supreme *****

Being a massive Miles Davis fan but not owning much jazz other than Davis, Coltrane came highly recommended, especially A Love Supreme. So I finally broke down and bought it, and my only gripe is with myself, that I didn't buy this masterpiece sooner! Upon hearing the title I assumed it was a spiritual album of sorts, and I was correct. The album symbolizes Coltrane's search for music, spiritual, and cultural freedom. Though I'm not sure he live long enough to see all those things go into effect, I am pretty sure he did gain his musical freedom.

A Love Supreme plays out like a suite of hope, redemption, and remorse. The power of McCoy Tyners piano through out adds elements of life to a bleak bass line like that of Jimmy Garrison (and by bleak I mean melancholy). Coltrane's tenor saxophone is chilling at times, especially during the droning 'Psalm' which closes the album. But what makes this album especially memorable for me is Elvin Jones. His playing through out the album is phenomenal. Some of the all time best drumming I have ever heard. 'Pursuance' has easily the best drum solo of all time! Eat your heart out John Bonham! 'Acknowledgement' opens the album with a bold statement wrapped in polyrythyms, While 'Resolution' like the title may suggest seems to be the answer or counter part to 'Acknowledgement.'

As you all know A Love Supreme is a classic jazz album, but more than that it is a classic album of all time branching more that just jazz. So do yourself a favor and don't put it off any longer as I did. Because this must be heard to appreciate because my review chances are did not do it justice.

John Coltrane wrote and recorded his work, "A Love Supreme" after having an intense spiritual awaking and often stated that he believed the album to be his musical love letter to God. The album is probably, next to "Blue Train," Coltrane's best known work by the world as a whole. While I belong to the point of view that everyone of Coltrane's works was a work of genius and that they were all truely works of great art, "A Love Supreme" ranks as one of my favorite Coltrane albums. The music on the album is amazing in it's mixing of moving melodies and ballad-like moments and intense and passionate experimentation that would become a standard in Coltrane's later works. The piece as a whole truely feels as if one is going through Coltrane's spiritual awakening as well as one moves through the stages that each of the pieces that make up the album is named after. I have always believed that there was a special significance to the art of music and it being perhaps the only art form that can bring natural in contact with the divine and Coltrane's work is truely proof of this theory. Whether you are new to Coltrane or jazz in general, you can't go wrong with picking "A Love Supreme" as a strarting point.