Four for Trane: Jazz and the Disembodied Voice

Abstract

This article comments on the paradoxical nature of new art and its relationship to technology, and discusses the impact of iconic recordings on contemporary performance habits. Using four examples of iconic media associated with John Coltrane, I construct a model from which to examine current trends in jazz performance that are influenced both directly and indirectly by recordings. I open with a discussion of how the jazz icon‐audience relationship is affected by recordings and draw on examples to illustrate how records can either contribute to the mystery and magic of performance or create a sense of unease in listeners through conscious awareness of the disembodied voice. The latter point is emphasised through a study of constructed iconic presence, using the sound of John Coltrane's spoken voice in an interview conducted by Carl‐Erik Lindgren in 1960. Conversely, the study moves on to demonstrate how acts of recorded jazz performance have the potential to instil music with a sense of mystery. Within this context, I include quotation, transcription, study aids, historical re‐enactments, and musical tributes under the same theoretical model, highlighting the influence of iconic presence on contemporary performance practice. I go on to demonstrate my theoretical model in practice, using both the Jamey Aebersold produced/Andy LaVerne ‘play‐along’ Countdown to Giant Steps and Branford Marsalis's Footsteps of Our Fathers album as examples.