288 pp. September 1, 2026, Ten Speed Press. Non-fiction.
September 23, 2026 was the centennial of the great John Coltrane’s birthday. Coltrane was one of the most innovative and influential musicians of the twentieth century, but died aged only 40. He’s remembered for his improvisational style on the saxophone, his (sometimes stormy) collaboration with Miles Davis, and The Classic Quartet that he led. A Love Supreme, his four-part jazz suite, is arguably his best work.
This book from his son with Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, shares pictures from his short life—with, for example, Miles Davis, Theolonius Monk, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Reggie Workman, Dizzy Gillespie, Pharaoh Sanders, and of course, Alice Coltrane. They were taken in the studio and on stage, at famous venues, and during photoshoots, by photographers like Francis Wolff, Chuck Stewart, Jim Marshall, and Jean-Pierre Leloir. The book also gathers essays from, among others, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Carlos Santana, and a poem by Julie Mehretu.
For fans, perusing these photographs is a deeply emotional experience, probably close to watching him perform. It’s also profoundly intimate to see him at work: always serious, part of him seemingly on another plane. And of course these pictures are simply beautiful on an artistic level, too.
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