“so our children will know…& be proud”: Coltrane and black music

In Jayne Cortez’s poem, “How Long Has This Trane Been Gone,” she writes about the preservation of black legends and of black history. She says that Blues and Jazz artists have been forgotten; that their work of creating music for and about black people has been overlooked.

“Will you remember their names

or do they have no names

no lives—only products

to be used”

Cortez makes a claim for black music and its ability to allow black people to reclaim their history and a culture of their own. She believes that people have begun to forget the importance of the music of black artists who have died and that black people no longer appreciate the meaning of their artistry. There is an anxiety about forgetting, and therefore losing black culture.

“All you wanna do

is pat your foot

sip and drink & pretend

…

and how many more Tranes will go

before you understand your life

John Coltrane who had the whole of

life wrapped up in B flat”

Cortez expresses an urgency for young people to understand that black music was created for their benefit, for their comfort and reassurance. Black music strives to convince black people that they are not without history or culture, and that they belong to a larger family of black souls. As Shange confirms in Lost in Language and Sound, the souls of black people are a “collective whole,” (70). Claiming and remembering black artists allows black people to feel that they belong to a shared  experience and community. Black music grants black people ownership of a culture and a history that they may pass on to their children.

“Mothers with sons

who need Coltrane

Need the warm arm of his music

like words from a Father

…your son whose lonely

Who walks walks walks into nothing

no city no state no home no Nothing

how long

How long

Have black people been gone”

Black children’s lives are at stake because they do not have a place anywhere. Black music has the ability to nurture these young people, and let them know that they belong to a history of legends. A history of great musicians, activists, writers, who wanted to create a black nation to which their children could belong. Cortez calls for black arts and black nationalism so that black children may feel the ownership of a culture and the protection of black national status. Black music prevents black people from going around without an identity to which they can belong, and affirms their experiences. As Shange says, black music is  “music that must be heard, to pacify spirits, consecrate our souls,” (LLS, 59).

Music:

Duke Ellington and John Coltrane: In a sentimental mood

Miles Davis and John Coltrane: ‘Round Midnight