‘Chasing Trane' documentary long overdue

In “Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary,” documentarian John Scheinfeld shows that the music of one of jazz's most experimental saxophone players still speaks to audiences today.

Born in North Carolina in 1926, Coltrane at first struggled to find his voice. In an early recording, he can be heard mimicking the signature flurry of notes of jazz giant Charlie Parker, but without Parker's confidence or a sound of his own. By the time he was hired by trumpet player Miles Davis - notably appearing on Davis's landmark 1959 album “Kind of Blue” - Coltrane's soulful, spiritual tone was immediately recognizable.

Unique yet accessible, Coltrane's sound led to both critical and commercial success, exemplified by his 1961 version of “My Favorite Things,” from “The Sound of Music.” In Coltrane's challenging interpretation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard, the song ran nearly 14 minutes, intensifying the emotional power of the original.

Scheinfeld maps out Coltrane's life and career, using archival performance footage and home movies, along with more recent interviews with such former bandmates and musical peers as pianist McCoy Tyner and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Artists and writers like Common and Cornel West talk through the roots and meaning of the song “Alabama” and the album “A Love Supreme”; it's a valuable musical education.

“Chasing Trane” ought to appeal to longtime fans as well as neophytes. For the former, the doc is filled with rare performance clips, alongside insightful interviews with family, colleagues and famous fans.

For newcomers, “Chasing Trane” gives a good overview of the man's biography and influence. The movie tracks the development of his compositions, from the achingly beautiful pop riffs of the ‘50s to the improvisatory avant-garde prayers of the ‘60s.

In the end, it's the music, and not the testimonials, that makes the movie.

At the height of his fame, Coltrane pushed himself - and his fans - in directions that tasked even the most adventurous listeners, pursuing a wildly experimental sound that some considered shrieking.

Strangely enough, this is the first comprehensive documentary about Coltrane, who, in addition to being a jazz icon himself, played with some of the other greats of the genre - Davis, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie - and on some of the greatest of jazz recordings.

Coltrane succumbed to liver cancer in 1967 at age 40, but his music endures. As guitarist Carlos Santana, one of Coltrane's fans, puts it, Coltrane didn't limit himself to one musical genre. Rather, Santana says, “He played life.”