John Coltrane was born 100 years ago this week, and jazz lovers are in a sentimental mood. Coltrane, who died in 1967 at the age of 40, occupies an honoured place in their world. For many afficionados he hovers only slightly lower than the angels.

‘In a Sentimental Mood’ was one of Duke Ellington’s classic songs, and in 1962 Coltrane joined the Duke on a disc which bore that title. Their collaboration was designed to throw a rope across the generations, and the younger man was not shy in acknowledging the debt owed by younger musicians to the great bandleader, who wrote several chapters in the history of jazz. 

To Larkin he was never the Trane. He was The Master ‘of rebarbative boredom’. Larkin referred to Coltrane’s ‘gigantic absurdity’, and his ‘insolence and ugliness’

To Larkin he was never the Trane. He was The Master ‘of rebarbative boredom’. Larkin referred to Coltrane’s ‘gigantic absurdity’, and his ‘insolence and ugliness’

Tuning in to Radio 3 this week, however, you might get the impression that improvised music began and ended with the man they call the Trane. The nightly ‘essay’ slot has been given over to five reflections on Coltrane’s life, and the programmes were prefaced by an odd feature on something called the St John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco.

Yes, such a church exists. Worshippers gather each week,........

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