Karma Coltrane A Love Supreme
52nd Anniversary of the album A Love Supreme by John Coltrane.
52 YEARS OF LOVE
This editions cover art is by John Nichols, from Honolulu, Hawaii. Nichols, widely traveled from Europe to Asia, extols Black culture with a career spanning four decades.
Karma Coltrane A Love Supreme refers to the seminal release of the landmark album by the giant of the tenor John Coltrane and the 52 years since then and evokes for the viewer a pensive, otherworldly, sort of reverie. Alice Coltrane, his widow is in the window of the temple, Asian sensibilities wafting in sheets of sound, while her late husband blows a supreme transcendent love carried by the Sanskrit, inspired melody, Om Na Ma Shiva, literally translated to mean, "I salute the light within you".
Most recently exhibited in Martha's Vineyard, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia & at Miami Basel. Inspired by the 3 M's of Music, Medicine & Mother Nature, Nichols underwent a week-long purgative fast in a single-minded pursuit in capturing the mood resulting in Karma Coltrane A Love Supreme, a numbered etching on Rives paper. "Halfway through the fast my clarity gave me this vision of multi-dimensionality breaching our perceptual boundaries”.
Coltrane issued what was to be a turning point in modern Jazz expression in that turbulent year of 1965 which saw the Watts Riots, the rise of Black power, and the March on Selma. With the nation still reeling from the death in Dallas of JFK whose legacy was still a promise in the eye of most folks of color. Divisive feelings were running high at the time and what was to become Black Nationalism was yet still nascent. Against this context Coltrane chose a message and a melody of Love. Coltrane's only son, Ravi Coltrane, gains his name from Ravi Shankar due to the immense respect that John felt for that master of the sitar and soon was enraptured by the hypnotic textures of that characteristic droning voice.
While in Honolulu, at the Blue Note, Ravi was pleased to view this stylized maternal portrait dedicated to his parents. He noticed that the image of his mother was coincidently from an LP of hers entitled "Spirit." Both living children have taken in and enjoyed this paean to their musical forbearers. Michelle Coltrane, Ravi's sibling and Nichols chanced to meet at the 114th medical gathering of the Black fraternal National Medical Association. Michelle sang for the audience and Nichols, displayed his Art, both to appreciative attendees. Nichols was amused when Michelle commented on his suggestion of a tribute album done mutually, and said, "if it wasn’t his idea he probably wouldn’t do it, but it’s a good idea!" the young lady said.