How John Coltrane built the bridge between my two loves – jazz and Carnatic music

The first time I heard John Coltrane was 25 years ago, and I didn’t even realise I was listening to him. He was one of two saxophonists on the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, and I couldn’t tell them apart. A few more listens made the difference between Coltrane’s tenor and “Cannonball” Adderley’s alto clear to the ear, though I still knew nothing about either man.

Once I could tell the two saxophone sounds apart, I noticed the tenor solos literally took off, and Coltrane’s lack of patience made me very curious about him. I was into a lot of musicians in those years, and few have survived in my collection. Even fewer are the ones I start my day with. Coltrane is the only one I am still trying to understand.

Today, September 23, 2026, is his hundredth birthday on the fall equinox. Everywhere there are Coltrane centenary tribute concerts, and people are talking about him. But I am trying to remember what drew me to him, what continues to draw me to his...

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