Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
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Overview
Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s: preachers praying, music on the radio, the bustling of the household. These vivid noises shaped John’s own sound as a musician. Carole Boston Weatherford and Sean Qualls have composed an amazingly rich hymn to the childhood of jazz legend John Coltrane. Before John Was a Jazz Giant is a 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book and a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Synopsis
Young John Coltrane was all ears. And there was a lot to hear growing up in the South in the 1930s: preachers praying, music on the radio, the bustling of the household. These vivid noises shaped John’s own sound as a musician. Carole Boston Weatherford and Sean Qualls have composed an amazingly rich hymn to the childhood of jazz legend John Coltrane.
Children's Literature
Yes, I still have some of my John Coltrane vinyl records—it is hard to part with your favorites even if the medium is no longer in favor. Much as I loved his music, I really knew very little about the musician. Weatherford has taken an approach that should resonate with young readers. She looks at John's life before he became an adult. What were the sights and sounds that influenced him, and how did he become one of the great jazz musicians? His home was filled with music and sounds. He heard the rhythm of his grandfather's Sunday sermons, his mother playing hymns for the choir, and he played a clarinet in a band. He also knew great sadness due to the loss of family members and separation from his mother and aunt. He was drawn to the saxophone, and it became his solace. He listened and developed his own rich and unusual sound. What is really amazing is how much information Weatherford conveys in her concise poetic text—her song of John Coltrane. The artist has amplified her words to show an appealing young boy absorbing all the sounds around him and finally producing his own signature sound. The author's note recaps John's brief life and his contribution to jazz. There is also a discography, several books and a reference to a web site where readers can learn more about this artist's life. Consider pairing it with Chris Raschka's John Coltrane's Giant Steps. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
Editorials
From the Publisher
“Weatherford’s evocative poem traces Coltrane’s influences simply and stunningly. Qualls’s muted palette of rich hues suggests the smoky jazz moods he would create.”—School Library Journal
“Even children who are unfamiliar with jazz in general and John Coltrane in particular may find their interest piqued.”
—Horn Book
“Will echo with contemporary children, who will recognize the music in their daily lives.”
—Booklist
“This is as much a subtle invitation for children to listen to their own worlds as it is a Coltrane biography.”
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Children's Literature -
Yes, I still have some of my John Coltrane vinyl records—it is hard to part with your favorites even if the medium is no longer in favor. Much as I loved his music, I really knew very little about the musician. Weatherford has taken an approach that should resonate with young readers. She looks at John's life before he became an adult. What were the sights and sounds that influenced him, and how did he become one of the great jazz musicians? His home was filled with music and sounds. He heard the rhythm of his grandfather's Sunday sermons, his mother playing hymns for the choir, and he played a clarinet in a band. He also knew great sadness due to the loss of family members and separation from his mother and aunt. He was drawn to the saxophone, and it became his solace. He listened and developed his own rich and unusual sound. What is really amazing is how much information Weatherford conveys in her concise poetic text—her song of John Coltrane. The artist has amplified her words to show an appealing young boy absorbing all the sounds around him and finally producing his own signature sound. The author's note recaps John's brief life and his contribution to jazz. There is also a discography, several books and a reference to a web site where readers can learn more about this artist's life. Consider pairing it with Chris Raschka's John Coltrane's Giant Steps. Reviewer: Marilyn CourtotSchool Library Journal
Gr 3-6- "Before John was a jazz giant,/he/was/all/ears." He heard "hambones knocking" in a pot on the stove, steam engines, tap dancers, preachers, sobs, cheers, and birdsongs. And he heard music-his father's ukelele, the family Victrola, church hymns, the community band, jitterbug music, and big bands playing on the radio, "blue notes crooning his name." So he picked up the saxophone and poured all the sounds he'd heard into music all his own. Weatherford's evocative poem traces Coltrane's influences simply and stunningly, her redolent voice as smooth and vivid as jazz itself. Qualls's double-page, full-bleed illustrations combine acrylic, collage, and pencil in surrealist renderings of young Coltrane soaking up the sounds surrounding him. A muted palette of rich hues suggests the smoky jazz moods he would create, the sounds dreamily dancing through the air amid streaming ribbons of music. A full-page biography of Coltrane concludes the volume, along with a list of recommended listening and further reading, making this picture book appealing to all ages studying jazz or African American history. Pair it with recordings of Coltrane for added appeal to a wide audience.-Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS