John Coltrane
Interstellar Space

Man has always dreamed of the sky, yearning for its silence, its colors, and that sense of expansive and motionless dynamism that makes us feel so small and distant. Many have sought to fulfill this ancient desire, dedicating themselves to increasingly complex inventions to touch the clouds and feel the earth so far yet so near. However, not all opted for a "physical" journey to the boundary between earth and the unknown. Indeed, some have incorporated the human desire for bodily elevation into a spiritual path aimed at making their soul fly, allowing it to travel without the need for airplanes or shuttles, finding in sensations that inner vehicle capable of driving the individual to regenerate and find peace.

This latter path may seem the simplest, the least "operational," perhaps a bit "lazy," but beneath it lies intrinsic difficulties that remain hidden from a casual and distracted glance. John Coltrane understood this well; he knew the soul is not an easy passenger to satisfy—technological gimmicks and ultramodern machines are not enough to make it feel free. It requires much more, something less tangible and palpable, yet still capable of striking, halting thought, and taking one's breath away. In simple words, it needs to lose itself, detach from the daily routine, to find its sky outside of the body and time.

As I mentioned above, Coltrane felt all this, and to undertake his journey (which will become yours too if you choose to follow him), he chose Free Jazz as his vehicle—a musical genre that, as the name itself suggests, frees itself from bonds and chains to project towards a new, unexplored, and mysterious universe where wind instruments chase each other in a frantic, free race that leads straight towards the universe. The story of this spiritual experience is encompassed in the tracks composing this "Interstellar Space," a unique work that is not easy to assimilate but capable of striking (for better or worse) from the first listen, thanks to a fast John Coltrane, nervous, weaving sharp threads like stilettos, which tear, dig, and penetrate deep into our innermost being, dragging us into a vortex of notes and colors, made even more intense by the precise and gritty drumming of Rashied Ali, John's sole companion in this extraordinary journey.

The engines of our psychic vehicle are started by "Mars," a piece introduced by a tinkling that feels like the beginning of a meditation session, leaving the field open to the Coltrane/Ali duo, who intertwine their instruments in an overwhelming and disorienting musical embrace, exuding a liberty and spirituality strong enough to shake even the coldest rationalists. The album, which can be understood as a long suite divided into various movements, follows the conceptual imprint expressed by the opening track. It is a work, forgive the repetition, that requires many listens to be well assimilated and understood, as it is, in its deliberately sparse nature, so full of interpretative strength that it initially leaves one disoriented.

In conclusion, I feel compelled to recommend this work to all Coltrane enthusiasts and also to all those listeners seeking a lively and vibrant album, capable of shaking and at the same time making one dream.

"Interstellar Space": John Coltrane: tenor saxophone, bells; Rashied Ali: drums.