The birth of John Coltrane, September 23, 1926

JohnColtraneBirth.jpgHeroin, cancer – 
nothing could stop your prayer:
a saint of music. 

Happy Autumn Equinox! I hope everyone is staying safe and sane in these crazy times.  I was looking through the Illustrated Poetry archives and discovered I don’t have a good equinox post, but I do have a past post about John Coltrane’s birthday.  I am one day early – his birthday was September 23, 1926 – but I think that is okay.

From the original post: “The history haiku for today is to honor the birth of the legendary jazz musician John Coltrane (1926 – 1967). He struggled with addiction as a young man, and sadly, his career was cut short by liver cancer at the age of 40, but he had an outsized impact on jazz and music in general. Especially towards the end of his life, he believed his music had a spiritual dimension, one that transcended any particular religion and tended towards a universalism.

John Coltrane has made an appearance on Illustrated Poetry before – in an illustration of the poem In Memoriam John Coltrane by Michael Stillman. I’ve posted it below.”
MemoriamJohnColtrane

11 comments

  2. Gorgeous visual and auditory texture! So well matched. I highly recommend this picture book by Carole Boston Weatherford: Before John Was a Jazz Giant. https://www.amazon.com/Before-John-Was-Jazz-Giant/dp/0805079947 And for the older PB crowd, Spirit Seeker by Gary Golio https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Seeker-Coltranes-Musical-Journey/dp/0547239947/ ….some really fabulous picture books about jazz musicians have been published in recent years. Cheers!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Jilanne! I will put these on the wishlist for my son and nieces and nephews (whom benefit a great deal from your blog, I will say!)

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Hi Marci!

    Just read your post. Didn’t realize I shared a birthday with John Coltrane. And, of all things I was listening to The Essential Miles Davis. At 1:00 o’clock in the a.m. Always so nice to hear from you. Hope you are doing well. All the best!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you, Scott! A fortuitous birthday, to be sure – and excellent choice of music. Good to hear from you as well – I am hanging in there, trying to stay healthy, safe, and sane!

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.