Music for Meditation - John Coltrane's Alabama
June 9th, 2020
By Mark George, President and CEO
Music for Meditation is a weekly recommendation of music of a reflective nature. Find a comfortable chair or lie down, turn on a smart speaker or put in earbuds, and just listen.
My recommendation this week is "Alabama" composed and performed by John Coltrane. The piece was created in the aftermath of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in which four young black girls were killed and many others injured. The incident drew national attention and was a turning point in the struggle for civil rights. It is particularly painful when the victims of violence are children. Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was deeply affected by the crime and recorded Alabama just a few months afterward, along with the members of his quartet, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones. The piece is approximately five minutes in length.
"Alabama" is a grief-stricken eulogy but also reflects a determination to continue the struggle against racism. There are some elite musicians who can penetrate your soul with the tone of a single note. From the moment Coltrane begins to play, the pain over the loss of life in Birmingham is audible. No words are necessary to convey his deepest feelings. I will never forget playing a recording of this piece for a class at a community college in Cleveland, Ohio. I gave only a brief introduction to the history of the work but by the end all eleven students were in tears.
"Alabama" (1963)
from the album Live at Birdland........John Coltrane (1926-1967)
John Coltrane, saxophone | McCoy Tyner, piano
Jimmy Garrison, bass | Elvin Jones, drums
John Coltrane was a ground breaking jazz musician whose work is characterized by harmonic innovation, technical virtuosity, and a uniquely expressive tone. Coltrane produced several iconic and influential albums such as Giant Steps (1960), My Favorite Things (1961) and A Love Supreme (1965). To John Coltrane, making music was an endeavor tied to a larger and greater good.