Finding Strength in Coltrane’s Timeless Inspiration

How Music Soothes Our Souls in Troubled Times

Let me be blunt: the world is on fire, and we’re all choking on the smoke. The Trumpian spectacle is back in full swing—a chaotic symphony of division, greed, and loudmouth demagoguery. It’s the same old song, but this time the amps are turned up to 11, and the stage is littered with broken promises and moral bankruptcy. Surviving this era of political and spiritual despair isn’t just about resistance; it’s about finding something to cling to, something that reminds us we’re human. And for my money, nothing does that like the music of John Coltrane.

Yes, Coltrane. The man who turned a saxophone into a portal to another dimension. The man who made chaos sound like hope and despair feel like transcendence. If you want to make it through these dark days with your soul intact, you’d better start listening—and not just to the music, but to the message buried deep in those swirling, spiritual notes.

Music isn’t just background noise; it’s medicine for the soul. It’s a lifeline when the world feels unbearable, a language that cuts through the noise of cable news and social media outrage. And let’s face it, we’re drowning in that noise. Every tweet, every soundbite, every pundit screaming on the screen—it’s enough to make you forget what peace even feels like.

But music, good music, doesn’t just distract you; it transforms you. It rewires your brain, slows your pulse, and makes you believe—for a fleeting moment—that everything might just be okay. And in a time when hope is as scarce as bipartisan compromise, that’s no small thing. John Coltrane understood this better than anyone. His music wasn’t just about skill or innovation; it was about salvation. When he picked up his horn, it wasn’t to entertain—it was to exorcise demons, both his own and ours.

Coltrane’s Medicine for a Sick World

If there’s one album you need to play on repeat right now, it’s A Love Supreme. Coltrane recorded it in 1964, another year when the world was falling apart. The Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, Vietnam was bubbling over, and America was tearing itself apart at the seams. Sound familiar?

But Coltrane didn’t wallow in the chaos; he transcended it. A Love Supreme isn’t just music—it’s a prayer, a mantra, a goddamn manifesto for survival. The opening bassline feels like a heartbeat, steady and unrelenting, while Coltrane’s saxophone climbs to heights that feel unreachable. It’s a sonic reminder that even in the darkest of times, there’s something bigger out there—call it God, call it the universe, call it whatever you need to keep going.

And isn’t that what we need right now? Something bigger? Because the Trump era isn’t just a political crisis; it’s a spiritual one. It’s a slow, grinding assault on empathy, truth, and connection. Listening to Coltrane is like planting a flag in the sand and saying, “Not today. You don’t get my soul today.”

Now, let’s get nerdy for a second, because it’s not just hippie talk—there’s science behind why music soothes us. Studies show that listening to music can lower cortisol levels (that’s the stress hormone making you grind your teeth at 2 a.m.). It can release dopamine, that sweet, sweet chemical that makes you feel like maybe life isn’t such a cruel joke after all.

But here’s the kicker: Coltrane’s music, with its complex harmonies and unpredictable melodies, does something even more profound. It activates parts of your brain associated with creativity, empathy, and problem-solving. In other words, it doesn’t just calm you down—it wakes you up. It reminds you that even in a world gone mad, you still have the power to think, to feel, to connect.

So how do we use music—Coltrane’s music—to survive in these troubled times? Start by turning off the news, at least for a while. Take a deep breath, pour yourself a drink or roll a joint, and let those opening notes of Acknowledgement wash over you. Let the sound pull you out of the chaos and into something quieter, something more real.

Then, let the music inspire action. Because if Coltrane teaches us anything, it’s that survival isn’t passive. He didn’t just play his horn; he poured his whole being into it, channeling every ounce of pain and love and fury into something beautiful. That’s the kind of energy we need right now. Channel your anger, your fear, your exhaustion into something that matters—whether it’s protesting, organizing, or just reaching out to a neighbor who feels as lost as you do.

And don’t forget to share the music. The beauty of Coltrane’s work is that it’s a communal experience. He wasn’t playing for himself; he was playing for all of us. So play it for your friends, your family, even that one coworker who keeps posting conspiracy theories on Facebook. Let the music do what words can’t.

Here’s the thing: Trump thrives on chaos. His whole schtick is making us feel small, powerless, and disconnected. But music, especially music as powerful as Coltrane’s, is the antidote to that. It reconnects us to ourselves and to each other. It reminds us that we’re part of something bigger—something he can’t touch, no matter how many executive orders he signs.

Listening to Coltrane isn’t just self-care; it’s resistance. It’s a way of saying, “You don’t get to take my humanity. You don’t get to make me forget what it feels like to hope.”

A Love Supreme, A Love Enduring

In the end, we don’t know how this story will end. Maybe we’ll make it through the Trump era with our democracy intact, or maybe we’ll look back on this time as the beginning of the end. But one thing is certain: we need music now more than ever. We need Coltrane, with his unflinching honesty and boundless compassion, to remind us what we’re fighting for.

So go ahead. Put on A Love Supreme. Let it wrap around you like a shield. Let it remind you that even in the darkest of times, there’s light to be found—if you’re willing to listen.

Because if we’re going to survive this madness, we need all the love, all the hope, and all the music we can get. And Coltrane? He’s got plenty to spare.

John Coltrane performed A Love Supreme only a few times live. Thankfully, there is one video his performance at the 6th International Jazz Festival in Antibes, France on July 26, 1965. In addition to Coltrane, his classic Quartet included McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Here is an excerpt from that performance.