John Coltrane by Neil Jacobs
Toni Lumbrazo Luna and I were married in 2015, and we decided that our honeymoon would be a California reading tour. We read our poetry in Berkeley, San Francisco, Eureka, and and Monterey. One of the highlights was a featured reading with Julie Rogers, David Meltzer, and saxophonist Zan Stewart at Bird & Beckett Books.
In the following excerpt from the travel poem we wrote during the trip, we visit the Saint John Coltrane Church in San Francisco. I was reminded of our visit when I read the following article on the NPR website:Five Decades On, An Eclectic Church Preaches The Message Of John Coltrane.
I am very pleased to learn that the church is soldiering on.
Happy 94th Birthday, John Coltrane.
No pics allowed at
Saint John Coltrane Church
Sunday Mass
sparsely attended, at first
the energy in the room is palpable
Procession takes place
in a room behind the stage
as we wait
“open your
hearts
as we go
into
confession”
tears
well
sit
or kneel
and
confess
“Praise
Him.
That’s
alright now.”
some join
some don’t
beautiful tapestries
with likenesses of Trane
and Lady Day
hang throughout the
Sanctuary
Miles Davis
draped across
the donation table
as the older cat
w dreads hanging below his knees
blows, my heart cracks open
shies
away a little
when
we get to
“one God one god”
same
old
push
and pull
acceptance
resistance
desire
&
suspicion
a
quiet, more
reasonable voice
from deep within
reminds me
that all humans
struggle for
meaning and
understanding
the room awash
in slightly muted
red, gold, green
the drummer
a beatific Buddha
in a blue t-shirt
however
the concepts
of
sin and evil
are
understood
we
all seek the same peace
“Thank you,
Jesus
Thank you,
Jesus”
as the ceremony continues
other musicians arrive
the door is left open
to encourage the folks
walking down Fillmore Street
to enter
a tall guy in
a blue shirt
takes his turn
blowing sax
celestial
late Trane
transcendence
and I feel my heart
fill with that light again
count at least
five sax players
like angels-in-waiting
by the time the sublime melody
to “A Love Supreme” begins
the room is full
“we’re just
trying to get a measure of what’s happening”
many passersby
stop to listen from
the doorway for
at least a few minutes
“If you love Truth, give God a hand, please. We call this
the sound exorcism. We try to keep it beautiful, but this ain’t no gin joint.
If the horn player starts speakin’ in tongues, we understand. When I went to
see John Coltrane, he was like a Pentecostal preacher to me. I know we’re gonna
have a good time, because the devil’s been busy all week. If you pat your foot,
you’re a part of the band. Don’t clear your throat in here unless you’re ready
to praise the Lord.”
deacon came up
in the African Orthodox church
part of the “no middle ground” crew
preaches on Revelations
believes we are in
The Last Days
“Saint John Coltrane was a scientist. Will indicates
someone’s intention. Will is modal…. You can’t get sidetracked when you’re
dealing with willing something into being…. I didn’t even talk about the All.
The All, that’s a lot. You have to be
surefooted. You have to move with purpose and authority.”
the
importance of sharing information
Abraham-Hicks:
The Vortex
Coltrane Speaks
Newlyweds Christopher and Toni Luna in San Clemente for their honeymoon, August 2015
