John Coltrane enthusiasts filled UB's Allen Hall on Monday night to listen to writer and music producer Ashley Kahn speak about his most recent book "A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album."
Kahn's book explores the history of the legendary jazz musician and tells the story of Coltrane's career before and after the recording of "A Love Supreme."
In his opening remarks, WBFO Music Director Bert Gambini said Kahn's book clarified many aspects of Coltrane's music.
"The work he's done with this book has opened doors of understanding, given us a glimpse of slights we had not seen and allowed us to hear clearly today what may have been a mystery a short time ago," Gambini said.
After introducing Kahn, Gambini and the author discussed topics covered within the book. Kahn also gave insight into the process of writing his book and why he chose to cover this album in particular.
Kahn told the audience he knew writing the book was going to be a challenge, which was one of the factors that motivated him to undertake the project. Although "A Love Supreme" sold more than 500,000 copies, Kahn said it was generally overlooked by many people and deserved more recognition.
"It tells the story of the man, his music, and his story," Kahn said. "It reflects the theme of a decade."
According to Kahn, the Coltrane album was unique in 1964 because its theme was opposite of the loud and upbeat social and cultural climate in America. That year, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the Beatles took the American music scene by storm.
Kahn said one of his goals - and one of the challenges - while writing "A Love Supreme" was to draw the reader's attention away from the pages and bring them into the music.
Another of Kahn's objectives was not to merely give details, but to tell a story. Ultimately, he said, his goal was to make "A Love Supreme" as enjoyable to read as listening to the album itself.
"There is a real meditative quality to ('Love Supreme,')" he said. "It had achieved an almost telepathic type of communication where all they needed was the seed of a melodic idea."
During the question-answer session following the discussion between Gambini and Kahn, one audience member asked Kahn why he interviewed musicians such as Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and U2 lead-singer Bono.
Kahn said both men were heavily influenced and inspired by "A Love Supreme."
"These are people who witnessed and were thinking musically, but not totally within the jazz scene," Kahn said. "One of the other things was the idea of getting various voices within the covers here in this book."
Melissa Palleschi, a senior communications major, said she saw Kahn when he spoke at UB about Miles Davis two years ago and said she was thrilled to see Kahn again.
"I was really impressed with the set-up of the presentation," Palleschi said. "I liked how Kahn took breaks to play songs from 'Love Supreme.' It allowed me to get more into the discussion and I didn't have to try and recall certain songs in my mind. The music was there for me to go along with Kahn's discussion."
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
