What John Coltrane can teach us about inclusivity

A year before his death, John Coltrane, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, toured Japan. Following World War II, few major American musicians had toured Japan. Coltrane did so. His 1966 tour also took in memorials to the war, Zen Buddhist Temples, and embraced cultural duties as part of his trip.

Coltrane was interested in Eastern spiritualism and practiced meditation. Indeed, he was openly interested in a huge range of religions and spiritual experiences. He once remarked that he believed in “all religions”, that “truth itself doesn’t have any name on it.”

It’s debatable whether the music he played on the tour was equally inclusive. On the one hand, Coltrane was at the peak of his avante-garde career, with individual improvisations lasting upwards of an hour during his shows. On the other, Coltrane considered each performance to be a unique event shared by audience and performers.

In his own words:

“I never even thought about whether or not they understand what I’m doing… the emotional reaction is all that matters. As long as there’s some feeling of communication, it isn’t necessary that it be understood.”

In the liner notes for his album Meditations he wrote that “Once you become aware of this force for unity in life you can’t forget it… my goal in meditating on this through music [is] to uplift people as much as I can. To inspire them to realise more and more their capacities for living meaningful lives.”

Coltrane’s visit is remembered as a high watermark for cultural inclusion between Japan and the US during the post war period.

Did his cross-cultural interest lead Coltrane to extend the hand of friendship? Did his meditation practice make Coltrane more empathic? Or was he just one soul looking to connect with others the way he knew best – through his music? What do you think?