Ascension: John Coltrane And His Quest - Softcover

9780306806445: Ascension: John Coltrane And His Quest
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 
"Ascension is as spellbinding as Coltrane's music."--The New Review of Records

"This remarkable book traces the development of Coltrane's music as it moved from hard bop to the freest jazz. . . . Informed and convincing, Ascension belongs on the short list of essential music books . . ."--Lang Thompson, Option

"Nisenson . . . presents us with a sensitive and vivid portrait of Coltrane as he progressed from a 'journeyman bopper' addicted to alcohol and heroin to a profoundly spiritual 'warrior' seeking knowledge of God through the making of music."--Booklist

"Equal parts biography, jazz history, social history, and listener's guide, Ascension manages to be both entertaining and enlightening. Though Eric Nisenson is an avowed fan of Coltrane, he maintains clearheadedness where others often succumb to gibberish. As a listener's guide to Coltrane recordings, the book is perceptive and thorough."--New York Times Book Review

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:
Eric Nisenson is the author of several jazz books, including The Making of Kind of Blue. He lives in Malden, Massachusetts.
From Kirkus Reviews:
An adulatory account of the musical achievements of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. Most musicologists would agree that Coltrane (1926-67) was a seminal force in contemporary jazz, but this comparison by Nisenson ('Round About Midnight, 1982) of Coltrane's ``spiritual quest...to find the essence of music and the mind of God'' to Einstein's search for a unified field theory is a little too much. Nisenson painstakingly traces Coltrane's career from his earliest recordings with Dizzy Gillespie and his work as a member of Miles Davis's legendary late-50's quintet through his own classic ensembles and later forays into free jazz. But the author is blindsided by devotion to his subject and often acts as a shrill apologist for the excesses of Coltrane's music rather than offering a balanced guide (he calls Coltrane's album A Love Supreme one of ``the most moving and genuinely spiritual documents of our century''). Nisenson's hero-worship carries over into his comments about Coltrane the man as he marvels over Coltrane's ``sheer courage'' in following his muse and the ``enormous amount of sacrifice and continual growth'' that the musician's career embodied. Nisenson is at his best in describing Coltrane's fellow musicians, including the egotistical Miles Davis; the far-out Sun Ra, who created an entire self-mythology to accompany his innovative music; and the shrieking saxophone player Pharaoh Sanders, who was a close associate of Coltrane's during his final, most radical years. The author correctly identifies Coltrane's inspiration in the complex rhythmic bases of non-Western, modal music, and his influence on everyone from psychedelic rock stars to today's devotees of world music. Finally, Nisenson discusses Coltrane's legacy, finding fault with the empty commercialism of 70's jazz-rock fusion artists, as well as with the ``brittle and heartless'' neoclassicism of today's jazz superstars, such as Wynton Marsalis. As Nisenson says, more ``gaseous prose has been written about Coltrane'' than any other musician--but, unfortunately, he, too, generates more hot air than light. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherDa Capo Press
  • Publication date1995
  • ISBN 10 0306806444
  • ISBN 13 9780306806445
  • BindingPaperback
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages298
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780312098384: Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780312098384
Publisher: St Martins Pr, 1993
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
GF Books, Inc.
(Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0306806444-2-1

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 19.84
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0306806444-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 19.85
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Softcover Quantity: 5
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 481232-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 17.22
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press 8/22/1995 (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Paperback or Softback Quantity: 5
Seller:
BargainBookStores
(Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest 0.74. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780306806445

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.23
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Soft Cover Quantity: 1
Print on Demand
Seller:
booksXpress
(Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. This item is printed on demand. Seller Inventory # 9780306806445

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 21.90
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Lucky's Textbooks
(Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580100938

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 18.19
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Softcover Quantity: > 20
Seller:
California Books
(Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # I-9780306806445

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 24.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (2024)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Paperback Quantity: 20
Print on Demand
Seller:
Save With Sam
(North Miami, FL, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New! This item is printed on demand. Seller Inventory # 0306806444

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 24.31
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0306806444

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 22.81
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Nisenson, Eric
Published by Da Capo Press (1995)
ISBN 10: 0306806444 ISBN 13: 9780306806445
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0306806444

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 25.83
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book