The ECHO, Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Monday, March 1, 2021 Page: 5 of 12
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The ECHO
March 2021
5
> COLTRANE continued from pg. 1
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was so named because it was a tribute to the “Miles Davis
found silence that not only raised his stock but also added Achievement Grammy Award. The following year, he played
with composer Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
to his dark mystique.
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Inevitably, the greats in any endeavor are defined by what The two performed a retrospective of Davis’s early work,
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John Pippen—ECHO Staff
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temporarily lived happily ever after. His five year hiatus was
the longest time Miles had been out of the public eye, a pro-
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■
1966, with Coltrane immediately getting remarried to Alice manifested through younger a
McLeod. Nevertheless, he and Naima remained in touch until Cameo, Chaka Khan, and Prine
X
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not to mention physically ill, from full-time self-abuse. bassist Darryl Jones of Rolling Stones fame). His album *
As a result, his career ended up on pause for five-years, “You’re Under Arrest” (1985) featured daring covers of non
Response to ‘Flash Gordon’
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spawned the career-defining studio albums such as “Brew” A final series of albums for Columbia—“Great Miles Shift
(1969), “Live-Evil” (1971), “On the Corner” (1972), and “Get Up Number," “The Man with a Horn,” “We Want Miles” and
Aura.” In 1990, Miles received the honor of a Lifetime
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C<ran’suntiiiiel passing shortly after. by the novel sounds of synthesizers and drum machines and
bi Meanwhile, on thedheels of a hyper-productive span that often incorporated their use in many of his recordings.
In your letter you also
referenced the old-school
term: convict. I, too,
remember the label and its
meaning. Those days are
no longer, and that is the
way of things. No matter
the name we are identified
by, be it convict, inmate,
offender or resident, the
fact is: we live here and
a lot of our condition
depends on us to help take
care of our environment.
So, whether you are
spraying bleach to help
fight COVID-19 or shov-
eling snow to melt so
we can flush our toilets
in a winter storm, we
say thanks to all. Until
the next urgent situa-
tion arises, and it will,
everyone look out for each
other—and quit buying up
all the ranch dressing at
the commissary. I thought
this might be a good time
to mention that. ★
See our Frontline Workers
spread on page 7.
materializes as their signature works. White Coltrane and Mites some of which he had not played in public for more than
each have an oceanic catalogue of music, for the purposes of this 20 years. Fittingly, this recording with Jones would bring
Coltrane subsequently writing, the singular works that showcase the essence of their Miles his final Grammy, awarded posthumously in 1993.
delved into frequent use creators are "A Love Supreme” and “Brew,” respectively. The recognition of Coltrane as a jazz demigod occurred
around 1957, which would BREW in a more literal fashion. A posthumous development that
partly contribute to the m . ... ., , . is hard not to categorize as bizarre was the formation of a
quintet’s dissolution. . atantlyunor podox, esoun G " rew oru8 ! congregation called the Yardbird Temple in San Francisco
Channeling the muse departsfrom The Cool” markcont ibut ions RI 1a itiona They named themselves after Charlie “Byrd” Parker, whom
chemically and chronically azz Birth’ f heC 0 ( 94 ri . ‛ th in 0 B ue" 59. they equated to John the Baptist. This group literally wor-
would exact its terrible .. 1 Kind . scredite da the arges se1 ng jazz shipped Coltrane as God incarnate. The congregation’s
toll on them in later wars. album of all time at an excess of 2 million copies, 1 S Brew subsequent affiliation and union with the African Orthodox
Meanwhile, the moments spent in the devil’s mind-altering The first thing that arrests attention when u ls ten Church led to the demotion of Coltrane from agod to a saint
embrace translated into numerous radical ways to break the to the title track on “Brew”is the cavernous spaces within in 1982- Theresulting theological mashup: the Saint John
sound barrier. The basis of these schemes was the rebellious the soundscape. It seems that Miles decided to experiment ColtraneAfricanorthodox Church of San Francisco. It is
desire to utilize their musical gifts to absolutely defy the con- with, amongst other things, the absence of sound, or what the onl African church incorporating Coltrane s
ventional conceptions of what jazz should sound like. Miles in the art world is referred to as negative space. Like the musiandlyricsas prayers inits litur! . , ,
was a musician who hated “warmed over turkey, as he would man himselc, this cut is dark and mody. rhe song moves Weare Coltraneconscious ... God dwels in themusical
later describe whatit was like playing his classic compositions, sinuously, stealthily surfacing at irregular intervals like a majesty0 fhisColtranes) sounds, said Rev. F. W. King,
seeking new, unchartered realms of sound, pushing bound- the Waves again. "Brew» ws not your granddaddy’s jazz; vSh ockingl freedman wrote in I he New
aries, if only for the sake of exploration In contrast, Coltrane this was unconventional, avant-garde, and surprisingly, IM. , , ,
was more placid, more settled, but no less intrepid an audio . . .. . .. . Snmc I he Coltrane church is not a gimmick 01 a forced alloy of
innovator. Both artists practiced and played their instruments acordingtanot erarotahlejazz Personagethe stuffof nightclub music and ethereal faith. Its message of deliver-
withunrivaled, daemoniczeal. Forthem.living meant pushing native and fellow trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis Coltrane’s mm iineusoungdisactuallyguiteconsistentwith
themselves farther and farther, propelled by artistic visions L,, n m Ls, -4 g N, C, :,1, -otrane s own experience and message.
that only encompassed the landscape of tomorrow. V . d > outspo n in his er icismof Miles workin jazz In addition, the Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in
that 1 m 0 kaiapiv usion, remarking that it wasnt true jazz. Newark, N. J., actually included Coltrane on its list of his-
NAIMA AND CICELY At the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 1986, Mar- torical black saints and went so far as to make a "case for
Beside many a creative giant is a woman willing to salis subsequently and inexplicably attempted to join Davis sainthood” for him in an article on its website.
help him battle the mental ghosts that inevitably haunt onstage without invitation. In language strewn with harsh ultimately, it could be argued that all of this stemmed
genius. Coltrane and Miles found such courageous com- invective, the normally stoic Davis vehemently demanded from Coltrane’s audacity to see himself as a religious figure,
panions in Naima Coltrane and Cicely Tyson. that Mai salis leave the stage. On the bright side, this momen- For example, in 1966, during an interview in Japan, Col-
Coltrane met Juanita Grubbs, who would later change tons clash of the legendary musicians has been credited with trane was asked what he hoped to be in five years. Coltrane’s
her name to Naima, at the home of bassist Steve Davis in making the International Jazz festival famous. now ironic reply to the question: “A saint.”
Philadelphia. When he met Naima, she already had a five- A LOVE SUPREME Fourteen years separate the final days of Coltrane and
year-old daughter named Antonia-whose name would be In the main, Coltrane maneuvered like a shaman trapped Miles.In afteralifetimeof perpetualreinvention. Miles
changed to Syeeda—from a previous relationship. By no inajazzman’sbody. He was a spiritual seeker whose preferred perished of pneumonia-related respiratory failure. He died
means intimidated by a “ready-made family,” Coltrane offi- vehicle for transcendence and healing was in the various in September, the very month in which Coltrane was born,
cially adopted Syeeda shortly after marrying Naima in 1955. configurations of the notes emerging from the mouth of his Miles was preceded in passing by Coltrane, who succumbed
A Muslim convert, Mrs. Naima Coltrane heavily influenced saxophone. He was driven by the notion that within particular to liver cancer in 1967. The combined impact of Coltrane
Coltrane’s spirituality and creative output. The love song he resonances and reverberations were the keys that could unlock and Miles on music is undeniable. The two were titans who
wrote to honor her, simply titled, “Naima,” was Coltrane’s variousemotional states. He believed that sound leads to feeling, fearlessly translated spiritual impulse into rhythmic vibra-
favorite composition. So in Coltrane’s thinking, a musician’s ultimate objective was tions. Generations of jazz performers proudly stand on the
In 1956, the three moved from Philly to New York City, to master harmony to the point that they could comprehend, massive shoulders of Coltrane and Miles.*
In August 1957, Coltrane, Naima, and Syeeda moved into control, and intentionally induce specific feelings in the listener.
an apartment on 103rd St. and Amsterdam Avenue in He believed that such mastery would allow musicians to bring .
New York. The year of 1963 would see their relationship prosperity, healing, and even change the weather. JAZZ
have its last stand at 11660 Mexico Street in St. Albans, Coltrane came closest to realizing these mystical aims -
Queens. This address was that of the home John and Naima with the album "A Love Supreme,” which was loosed on the Submitted hvNaKinii
purchased a few short y tai s al ter ai i mg in The Big Apple. world in December of 1964. McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, - "
InJ.C. Ihomassbiography on Coltrane, Chasin theTrane, and Philly Joe Jones rounded out the celebrated quartet
Naima had this to say about the break up: I could feel it was that helped birth the recording many consider his magnum ORGANIC vibrations...
going to happen sooner or later, so I wasn’t really surprised opus. “Supreme” is indeed a masterwork, essentially a . ’ ORGANIC VIBRATIONS...
when John moved out of the house in the summer of 1963. He four-part distillation of the spiritual tectonic plates shifting ORGANS VISING with horns
didn’t offer anyexplanation. He just told me there were ’things beneath the earth of Coltrane’s being. VIBING WITH WOoD ANO STRING VIBRATIONS
he had to do,’and he left only with lus clothes and his horns. The inanimate MADE intimate by
IHe stayed in a hotel sometimes, other times with his mother rAKtWtLL LIVE VIBRATIONS
in Philadelphia. All lie said was, ‘Naima, I’m going to make a Up until the very moment of his passing, Mites never RIGHT, VIBRTIONS?
RHYTHMIC
beating, STRUMMING
STRIKING, HUMMING
BRASS COMING ALIVE
WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF GOD
HcoNCERTOEcHORDSCOMEINING
Flowing , WEAVING, teasing.
NG THE PLEASURE CENTERS OF MY BRAIN
of P«P JAZZ. MAN!
Cvndi Jazz man This is jazz1
=ASSY CATS UnLeR ttas
SASSEATSUNERHoE
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tot Unloching DIOIS navigate youthrough the mamy opportunities
thatar available toysul
Contact ns today er upon release to meet with year
personal He entry Broker and hegin your positive
joumeytanewille:
Pone: 214.296.9258
info@uniackingdoors.org
Tust to highlight what
• we’re talking about,
I’d like to say a few words
to an unidentified writer
at the Polunsky Unit who
called himself “Flash
Gordon.” Though we ask
contributors to use actual
names, we at The ECHO,
agree with you in wanting
to show appreciation for
all those on the “major
cleaning crew.” We are
hoping that you and others
around the system will
continue to look out for
each other by helping keep
the places we live clean ,
and safe. As of writing
this, we just came off the
coldest winter storms
known to most of us in
Texas. Once again we wit-
nessed residents and staff
doing whatever it took to
make it through a snowy,
icy week —going above
and beyond assigned work
duties to help with all the
issues that arose during
the freeze. Thank you.
a period of self-imposed isolation. Battered by drug abuse hits such as Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and Cyndi- u
and the demands of incessant musical virtuosity, Mites Lauper’s “Time After Time.”
single-handedly waged an unsuccessful waragainsthis per- Over the course of Miles’ career, he received a total of/
sonal hobgoblins and newly-arisen health issues. Through a eight Grammy awards. One of those was for “Tutu” (1986), That HEa
stroke of what could only have been divine intervention, he which also garnered him praise for his use of electronic - THEY SETT-
began dating the well-known actress Cicely Tyson in 1979 instruments. Another Grammy was awarded to him forSEE ALL TH
and together they vanquished his addictions. In 1981 the “Aura” (1989), an album that Miles created in 1985, but As their
jazz giant and his Hollywood savior tied the knot and they wasn’t released until almost five years later. The recording >FING
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Unlocking DOORS® is a nonprofit organization based in Dallas, Texas, wherit serves
individuals with criminal backgrounds. . \
change.’ Even though I couldfeel it coming, it hurt, and I didn’t ceased to surf the crest of the future, whether through his
get over it for at least another year.” But Coltrane kept a close own material or that of others. He remained profoundly fas-
relationship with Naima, even after their official divorce in cinated with the manner in which the sounds of tomorrow’
tists such as Rose Royce,__________......_______________
. Miles was also intrigued WITH THE PULSE OF HUMAN BREATH >
.........1..............*...........’ LET !T BE! LET THE MUSIC BE ME
LET EVERY hair ON MY HEAD
BE A note in a SYMPHONY
vaiei—en b Le L A ai ne C~-
With It” (1975), Mites again fell weak to substance abuse. This “Decoy” (all released between 1981 and 1985)—reflected Al
time,insteadofheroin,hewasgrippedbythewickedcharmsof not only his fascination with funk music, but also how he \ —
alcohol and cocaine. By the end of 1975, Miles was exhausted, always kept himself surrounded by young talent (such as Pleas
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Texas. Department of Criminal Justice. The ECHO, Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Monday, March 1, 2021, newspaper, March 1, 2021; Huntsville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1492080/m1/5/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.