Chasing Trane

John Scheinfeld

The John Coltrane documentary is a thought-provoking and uplifting film about an outside-the-box thinker whose boundary-shattering music continues to impact and influence people around the world.

This portrait of a remarkable artist reveals the critical events, passions, experiences and challenges that shaped the life of John Coltrane and his revolutionary sounds. It is a story of demons and darkness, of persistence and redemption. But, above all else, it is the incredible journey of a spiritual warrior who found himself, found God, and in the process, created an extraordinary body of work that transcends all barriers of race, religion, age and geography. It is a film for anyone who appreciates the power of music to entertain, inspire and transform.

The beauty, poignancy, energy, pain, joy and inspiration heard in nearly 50 Coltrane recordings from throughout his career brings alive the artist and the times in which he lived. Even those familiar with his music will be able to hear and appreciate the music of John Coltrane in a new and exciting way.
Although Coltrane never participated in any television interviews (and only a handful for radio) during his lifetime, he has an active and vibrant presence in the film through his print interviews. These words – spoken by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington – illuminate what John Coltrane was thinking and feeling at critical moments throughout his life and career.

A timely screening: The film is shown just after THE Jazz sensation of this summer, the issueing by Impulse! of Coltrane recordings presumed lost for more than 55 years under the title “Both directions at once – Lost Album”.

Director: John Scheinfeld

Country: USA
Year: 2016
Duration: 99 minutes

 

 

John Scheinfeld is a well established documentary filmmker. Topic-wise, his films cover a wide range of fields of work such as pop culture, politics, sports and world religions. His films were shown at international A festivals, and he also worked for Public Broadcasting Service. He was nominated several times for the Emmy, Grammy and Writers Guild Award. On his belt are two more critically acclaimed music films: THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON, which tells the true story of the US government’s attempt to silence the British musician and iconic advocate for peace, and WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM)?, a portrait of one of the most talented and uncompromising singer-songwriters in pop music history.