GUYS. I made a big mistake, in that I forgot to mention that you need to go listen to my friend Joyce Kwon’s unbelievable “Crescent the Chromatic Bear”: https://youtu.be/4BOTaMOYxRk

Thank you. I adore Coltrane. He's one of the reasons why I'm a Christian today. And one of the reasons why I play jazz now too. lol. Great video man.

Finally, someone who analyzes and understands Trane's music beyond just "sheets of sound, Coltrane changes, etc...). Trane was never doing technical things just to be cool or show off. He uses his technical knowledge of music to be melodic and make beautiful music. Trane's focus on different types of music and religions and cultures allows us to come together as people. Trane transcends the music itself when he plays it, and aside from learning technical aspects of his language, the best way to listen to Trane is to just let him take you on a journey.

I have always believed that Crescent and A Love Supreme are two interconnected albums. Crescent almost feels like Trane reflecting on his career to that point. The tune starts out free and mysterious, then, it grounds itself in soulful traditional blues playing for the first part of his solo and then plays some straight-ahead sixteenth-note lines that harken back to his playing in the '50s. Then, he incorporates some of the quicker double time/tuplet-based lines that he used in the early '60s. After that, he explores small rhythmic cells like he continued to do throughout the '60s. Soon, he begins pushing more into the altissimo register and begins playing a variation on a chromatic phrase that he used in the '50s, but this time, it sounds different. It's more reaching and demonstrates where he will go next. Same with the double-time phrases that he now speeds up and pushes even further. But then, he's back playing blues lines before returning to the free time feel again. But the melody feels different the second time. Perhaps with a little more drive and direction. It's almost like the story of Trane's life and career. The floating feeling of the melody the first time through could represent the difficulty Trane had at first finding his own style and the personal adversity he faced with his drug and alcohol addiction in the '40s and early '50s, but as the tune gets into the solo section, in an instant, it all becomes so clear. Just how Trane suddenly was able to really play what he felt after breaking his addiction and having his spiritual awakening in 1957. I think his playing on the tune represents the enjoyment that Trane found in searching and in his quest. But as demonstrated by this video, he never left anything behind. Even the name of Crescent sort of suggests coming full circle with his musical ideas but going in a new direction with them. He never abandoned the Giant Steps progression. He just found new ways to briefly utilize it and move on to a new idea (this is especially present in his One Down, One Up solo from the Half Note in 1965). It is particularly interesting that Trane only solos on the A-side of the album, too. It's possible that he knew his new direction could've led to the end of his quartet (or at least the end of the things they were doing at this point), and he gives each musician a format to express themselves: McCoy and Jimmy Garrison on Lonnie's Lament and Elvin on The Drum Thing. It just goes to demonstrate the brilliant restraint Trane expressed in his music and the gratitude and relationships he had with his band and speaks volumes about Trane as a person, not just a musician.

If Crescent is a reflective album and a peek into the future as well as a thank you to his band, A Love Supreme solidifies what Trane's style was at that point. He again tells the story of his life and career, but this time, he chooses to do it by thanking God and his listeners for inspiring him and giving him the strength to make the beautiful music he made (and if that isn't beautiful, I don't know what is).

After A Love Supreme, Trane added more and more musically, but he never left anything behind and he always remembered what got him to where he is (from having a lot of his family die when he was a teenager, to his struggles with drugs and alcohol, to his spiritual awakening, and to whatever new directions the music was taking him). Trane's music is very much demonstrative of life itself: there's tension, there are challenges that we will face, there are problems to solve, but there is also resolution, and beauty, and wonder. Trane's music demonstrates to us that no matter how difficult life may get and however much adversity we might face, people are beautiful (despite their flaws), life is beautiful, and the world around us is beautiful. That's what Trane's music means to me, and it makes me sad that I can't thank him for making me strive to be better as a person every day. Trane means more to me than I could ever express in words and I hope that I can somehow express my gratitude either by playing, listening to, or thinking about his music, or hopefully (if he is out there somewhere) expressing my thanks directly. Thank you, Trane, for making my life, and so many others' lives, infinitely better and teaching us all how to love those around us!

As for this video, it is easily one of the best analyses on Trane that I have ever seen, and you have earned yourself a subscriber!

this has got to be one of the best music youtube channels yet

I would love if you explained a Thelonious Monk composition.

I'm dumbstruck that this video only had 32 comments. Your videos are absolutely unique in their presentation of topics that could be inaccesible, but explained and produced in a fresh and friendly way that allows us plebs to keep striving for that spicy musical knowledge. Thanks for what you do 💜

Great work! Hard to find this kind of deep analysis of Coltrane that does the music justice. Crescent's my fave record, so was a pleasure to watch.

Absolutely mindblowing video! Thank you so much! I am a lifelong Trane fan and amateur saxophonist. I don't have the ability to delve into Trane at this level so a relish any opportunity to hear someone unlock these secrets for me. I would absolutely love Ben Solomon to release a book or articles sharing more of his insights on Tranes music. Thanks again, this made me day and will give me alot to think about for a long time!

just had to watch this video again because i was too stoned last time i watched it, BUT i have to say that i deeply appreciate the content and video essays you're putting out here, because it's exactly what i need in college!!! i luv u

You are the first to really present the Maestro's work in full, at least that I've seen on youtube, as Life through Sound, and more. Cannot thank you enough. 👋👋👋👋💯💯💯

Slonimsky's work is monumental, but the organization is difficult. It's easier to start with a 4 Note chromatic cell and expand out by adding whole steps. Each permutation will have 24 variations. You'll see how composers use these 4 note cells in tunes like Meditaion and Take Five, Blue Monk, Bachs' 2nd Invention in C minor and nearly everything else depending on how far you want to take the process. I took it out to 27, 4 note grips, which was interestingly enough a Diminished 6th chord, and I learned so much about BeBop in the process.

This is one of my favourite videos on the internet

Very concisely put Brian, thank you!

What an incredible ride! Thanks a lot to you and Ben both!

Cresent was discovered  by me late in my Coltrane worship  but it is one of his greatest  compositions.

Tangential and barely relevant Giant Steps ramble:
During college I decided to create every permutation of Giant Steps. Meaning that if Giant steps descends by Major 3rds in the first half and up by Major 3rds in the second half. You can use the same idea with the other 10 possible intervals and adjust the melody as needed based on the chords. So the original BMaj7 D7 GMaj7 Bb7 EbMaj (down by Major 3rd/or up by minor 6) could become BMaj Eb7 AbMaj7 C7 FMaj7 (down by minor 3rd/up by major 6th). Most were terrible, creating more than 3 tonal centers. Moving by 4/5ths removes the whole feel, tritone is just alternating between two chords, and chromatic isn't very interesting. The only one that really piqued my interest when played was down by minor 6/up by Major 3rd - which coincidentally keeps the same 3 tonal centers. Essentially Giant Steps but in reverse directions. So the starting progression becomes BMaj7 Bb7 EbMaj D7 GMaj7. Though I changed the key as otherwise it really confused the ear and made you think you were just playing Giant steps but starting halfway through..

If you've made it this far through that rambling explanation, maybe you'd like to hear what it sounds like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmIaclr3u04

Thanks for another incredibly well researched and interesting video Brian!

This makes me so happy. Thank you

Really great video, Brian! Super deep. I’m gonna listen to this record all day now.

I love the "hanging out in the living room" vibe of the intro and outro. Incredible video, your channel just gets better and better!

yea man, great video. looking past the overt biblical and religious tones in Coltranes music, I have always FELT those things as well. something else was going on with him and his music. great video, yea man