John Coltrane: His Life and Music (The Michigan American Music Series)

Very well written and researched, with high technical knowledge — a pleasure to read!A story of pure practice and love for the craft.

Great condition! Better than described!

Lewis Porter (who I studied with thirty years ago) does the very rare thing of joining music knowledge and story telling together to help you understand both the stuff of Trane's music (what it is) and the context (Trane's life and what was happening at the time). Porter tells stories well and even though he was an academic at the time, this does not at all come off as an "academic" text. Read it when it first came out, and just re-read it. Really amazing. Trane's life and music are a huge inspiration and that all comes through.

I bought this book for my father who is an ardent John Coltrane fan. I've bought him every book, album and track I could find so I was really nervous about this one. The cover made it look like a children's biography, lol. He loved it! That's really saying something because he is an expert on John Coltrane. He said he learned a lot and could not put it down. I highly recommend!

Bought this book because it was the required text for a recent class I took on John Coltrane. Lewis Porter has certainly written the definitive document Coltrane in this book - he covers the history very thoroughly, includes some very detailed musical analysis, and shares his own investigative research with us through his extensive interviews with those who knew Coltrane. Highly recommend it!The book arrived in a timely manner and was in great condition. Very happy with this purchase!

The author has given the most detailed and thorough history, experience and story of this iconic jazz artist! It's like I know Mr. Coltrane personally!Great job!

Popular opinion is that it is the best musical bio of Trane available. I'm inclined to agree.

The biography portions of the book were excellent. But the dissection of the music and terminology was way over my head. Not the authors fault, as I am sure If I understood all the music language, it would be spot on. If you are a music person, then the music detail will mean a lot to you. Still good biographic sections on Coltrane.

A must for a jazz musicians library.

Excelente libro sobre “Trane”. Su infancia, sus inicios en la música, su desarrollo y principales influencias, su estilo al improvisar y componer... Libro bien documentado y en el que el análisis musical de sus solos y/o composiciones se enlazan a lo estético y a lo biográfico en todo momento, sin perder la frescura y la facilidad de lectura. Si bien se aprovechará mejor si eres músico (mejor aún si eres jazzista), el libro está escrito de manera accesible a todos los públicos: aficionados, melómanos y músicos profesionales. ¡Altamente recomendado!

One of the best critical biographies I have read. Porter begins by telling you, in the introduction, why his book is brilliant, and this seems a little like bragging, until you actually read the book and realise he is right to tell you what he's done and what you're in for. Uses musical examples, fully and brilliantly transcribed, is well written so that it's a page-turner, and gives brilliant insight into Coltrane - the musician, private man, onetime addict and eventual saint - whilst always maintaining a crucial objectivity and distance. It illuminates Coltrane without telling you how brilliant you should think he is. Fully recommended to anybody interested in Coltrane.

本書が発刊される前にもJ. C. Thomas やBill Coleの書いたコルトレーン書はあるが内容的に本書には到底及ばない。本書の後に発刊された本を含めた多くのコルトレーンに関する書物はライナーノーツや関連書などの間違いを信じ込んで書かれており、リサーチ不足を露呈している。そういう本には筆者の偏見に満ちた感想や邪推はあっても、発見や本当の感動はない。明治維新の時代（松平定教、日下部太郎など）から日本とも歴史的に係わりの深いニュージャージー州にあるラッガース大学Rutgers Universityの大学院ジャズヒストリー＆リサーチ科の設立者にてディレクター、ルイスポーター教授の会心の作。コルトレーンを知るものは必携、必読の書。本書が成したリサーチによる歴史・人物考証の示し方は、ジャズの歴史学を大きく塗り変えたのは間違いない。アメリカのアカデミック・スタンダードを上げた名著。日本の出版社は何故、デタラメ本の翻訳ばかり推進しているのだろう？精査能力のない人間が出版社や教育機関に多くいるのは誠に遺憾である。文部科学省もジャズを日本の学校教育に取り入れる前に基本として本書やJazz: From Its Origins to the Presentを勉強して欲しい。どちらも翻訳版が待たれる。日本の国益のためにラッガース大学に渡米し、異国の地で祖国を思い、命を落とした精鋭を忘れてはならない。

Porter is a musician and a lecturer of music at a US university. The book necessarily takes his perspective but it provides an unparalleled insight into Coltrane - the musician. Much of the book is over my head - hardcore music theory, and charts. I learned a lot and I persevered - because I realised through Porter - that to know Coltrane, is to know his music. Thank you Lewis PorterBTW the book got a 4 - only because I could not comprehend large chunks of the book - not due to any shortcoming on the author's part!