Chasing Trane at the Grammy Museum

Few jazz performers are held in quite the same level of esteem as the sax man they called “Trane.” We speak, of course, of the late, great John Coltrane, whose skills as a musician are held in such high regard that the Grammy Museum has been running a long-term exhibit dedicated to the man and his music.

Chasing Trane: John Coltrane's Musical Journey Transcended, follows the composer / musician from the beginning of his life in Hamlet, North Carolina in 1926 all the way through to his death from liver cancer at the all-too-young age of 40 in 1967, but there’s particular focus on those last few years of his life.

"We are excited to share the story of John Coltrane's remarkable career, specifically the years 1965 to 1967,” Grammy Museum curator Nwaka Onwusa told Billboard in October. “As Coltrane's career progressed during these final years, his music took on an increasingly revolutionary dimension. This exhibit will highlight that special time in his life."

Coltrane’s story is told through rare audio recordings and performance footage, handwritten manuscripts, the instruments he played, and much more. Those who already know his music will arguably find the exhibit the most fascinating, but even if you aren’t familiar with the Coltrane catalog…

Actually, here’s a question: why aren’t you familiar with the Coltrane catalog? You should probably fix that right by listening to Rhino’s official John Coltrane playlist. After you’ve made your way through that, we suspect you’ll want to make your way straight to the Grammy Museum to start Chasing Trane.