“TELL ME HOW LONG TRANE’S BEEN GONE”
Directed, Produced and Edited by Steve Rowland
Written and co-produced by Larry Abrams.
Narrated by Professor Michael S. Harper
A five hour audio documentary on the life, music and legacy of
composer and saxophonist Ohnedaruth John Coltrane.
HOUR #1 – WHAT WAS
The hour features live interview segments with
Saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Gary Bartz, Jimmy Oliver,
Odean Pope, Jimmy Stewart, Arthur Rhames, Byard
Lancaster, Steve Lacy, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie,
pianists McCoy Tyner, Walter Davis Jr, drummer Rashied
Ali, bassist Reggie Workman, Trane’s Cousin Mary
Alexander, Trane’s biographer, music historian Dr.
Lewis Porter, writer/poet Amiri Baraka and many
others.
The hour begins with an introduction to John Coltrane,
his life and work and moves us from his childhood in
North Carolina through his family’s migration north to
Philadelphia in 1943. We see the Philadelphia music
scene that Trane discovered in Philly and soon are
following Trane’s career through numbered Chapters.
Chapter One is “You Can’t Go Home Again”,
Chapter Two—”Walking the Bar”
Chapter Three- “Bird and Diz”
Chapter Four—”Monk and Monkaphonics”
Chapter Five—“Mr.Rollins, Mr Coltrane”
The hour also includes poetry from Jayne Cortez,
Michael Harper, Langston Hughes and music demos with
Gary Bartz as well as archival interviews with
Charlie Parker and John Coltrane,
HOUR #2—IN THE PYRAMIDS
The hour features live interview segments with
drummers Max Roach, Elvin Jones, pianists Zita Carno,
George Russell, Jimmy Amadie, saxophonist Steve
Coleman, trombonist Conrad Herwig, music theory master Dennis
Sandoli, record producer Bob Theile and many others.
The hour tells the story of Trane’s career from the
time he began playing with Miles until the creation of
his great quartet with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and
Jimi Garrison. It begins with
Chapter One– “Miles’ Modes”
Chapter Two– “Nobody knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”
Chapter Three– “My Favorite Things”
Chapter Four— “The Inimitable Four”
The hour also includes poetry by Nathaniel Mackey,
Amiri Baraka, Rachel Harper and Michael Harper as well
as archival interviews with Jimi Garrison and John
Coltrane..
Music demos in the hour are by Zita Carno, Jimmy
Amadie, and Dr. Lewis Porter.
HOUR #3—A LOVE SUPREME
The hour features live interview segments with
saxophonists Archie Shepp, Bobby Zankel, poet and
critic AB. Spellman, Dr. Cornel West, critic Nat
Hentoff and many others.
The hour follows the story of John Coltrane’s Great
Quartet against the backdrop of the Civil Rights
Movement and the controversy that surrounded the
development of Coltrane’s music. The Chapters are;
Chapter One—”Wake up Call”
Chapter Two—”Alabama”
Chapter Three– “Anti-Jazz”
Chapter Four–“Lush Life”
Chapter Five–“A Regular Person”
Chapter Six– “A Love Supreme”
THE SECTION ON ALABAMA INCLUDES A JUXTAPOSITION OF COLTRANE’S COMPOSITION AND MARTIN LUTHER KING’S EULOGY FOR THE 4 GIRLS MURDERED IN A BIRMINGHAM CHURCH – THIS COLLAGE, CREATED BY STEVE ROWLAND POINTS TO THE STRONG INFLUENCE THAT KING AND THAT AWFUL EVENT HAD ON COLTRANE.
THE SECTION ON A LOVE SUPREME INCLUDES ANOTHER REMARKABLE SECTION. GOSPEL SINGER RUSSE JORDAN IS HEARD SINGING THE WORDS TO THE POEM PRINTED ON THE ALBUM’S COVER, NOTE-FOR-NOTE IN SYNC WITH COLTRANE’S POWERFUL SOLO.
The hour also features poetry by Etheridge Knight,
Michael Harper, AB Spellman and John Coltrane,
archival interviews with John Coltrane, and music
demos by John Coltrane and Steve Rowland.
HOUR #4—SEARCHING FOR THE ONE
The hour features live interview segments with
saxophonists Pharaoh Sanders, Sonny Fortune, John
Gilmore, bassist Art Davis, pianist Sun Ra, African
percussionist Baba Olatunji, poet Sekou Sundiata and
many others.
The hour follows the music and career of John Coltrane
against the backdrop of the Black Nationalism and
black cultural nationalism that was beginning to
become a major force in Black America and documents
Trane’s influence on the movement. We also follow
Trane’s involvement in the Jazz Avant-Garde of the mid
and late 60’s and its impact on his music. The
Chapters of the hour are;
Chapter One—”Fire Music”
Chapter Two—”Trane was a Bad Blues Man”
Chapter Three—”Africa”
Chapter Four—”Mr. Re, Mr. Ra”
ChapterFive—“John Gilmore, You Got the Concept”,
Chapter Six—”Ascensions”
The hour features poetry by Amiri Baraka, Etheridge
Knight, Sun Ra, Nathaniel Mackey and Michael Harper,
music demos by African drumming master, Babatunde Olatunji and archival interviews
with John Coltrane.
HOUR #5—HOW LONG HAS TRANE BEEN GONE
Hour features live interview segments with Alice
Coltrane, guitarist Sangeeta Berardi, and many, many
others.
The hour follows the last years of John Coltrane’s
life, his enormous influence in the years after his
passing and his place in the music of our time. The
Chapters of the hour are:
Chapter One—”Expressions”
Chapter Two—”The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
Chapter Three—”There’s a Hole in the Bucket”
Chapter Four—“How Long Has Trane Been Gone?”
The hour features poetry by Sekou Sundiata, Nathaniel
Mackey, Amiri Baraka, Ntozake Shange, Michael Harper
and Jayne Cortez, music demos by Baba Olatunji,
Sangeeta Berardi, and archival interviews with John
Coltrane.
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Broadcaster extraordinaire Doug Schulkind’s listener feedback to Tell Me How Long Trane’s Been Gone, 2007 broadcast.