More Than Meets the Ear: The Agency of Hindustani Music in the Lives and Careers of John Coltrane and George Harrison

Abstract

A comparison of John Coltrane and George Harrison reveals striking parallels in the ways their careers and lives were affected by their contact with Hindustani music, the classical music of North India. I examine these parallels, paying attention to how these men were personally transformed and developed a desire to transform others. They both drew upon Hindustani music as a means to accomplish their artistic goals, providing case studies of Indian music’s ability to sonically embody the philosophies and thinking that are inseparable from it in its native cultural context. Coltrane and Harrison had distinctly different approaches to raise audience awareness and reach listeners on a deeper level. A probe into the success of these approaches evaluates the effectiveness of each in fulfilling his objectives. Finally, this study considers this appropriation within the context of each man’s career. How are the expectations of the pop-culture worlds of Coltrane, a black American jazz musician, and Harrison, a white British rocker, reflected in their relationship with this foreign music and culture? Portraits emerge of two artists who found spiritual renewal by looking for musical inspiration from a source outside of their cultures. The desire to share their experience consumed their careers: Coltrane’s method was understated; Harrison was forthright. They operated in different popular- and musical-cultural worlds. Their use of Indian musical elements reflects this. Harrison was coping with questions of identity and independence while being permanently associated with the greatest pop group of all time (the Beatles). Coltrane was dealing with the rising volatility of the Civil Rights movement and the conflicting ideals of unification and divisiveness entwined within his elevation as a symbol of black nationalism. The spirituality acquired through Indian music helped both sustain a social-centered consciousness in their art and creative pursuits.