{"history":[],"article":{"id":"459dcc95-a63d-4e00-bf5e-145bb5725a54","title":"Alabama (John Coltrane song)","slug":"alabama-john-coltrane-song","content":":::summary\n:::\n\n# \n\"**Alabama**\" is a musical composition by the American jazz artist [John Coltrane](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-coltrane), first recorded in 1963 by Coltrane with [McCoy Tyner](https://bliptext.com/articles/mccoy-tyner), [Jimmy Garrison](https://bliptext.com/articles/jimmy-garrison), and [Elvin Jones](https://bliptext.com/articles/elvin-jones).\nTwo takes from that session appear on Coltrane's 1964 album [Live at Birdland](https://bliptext.com/articles/live-at-birdland-john-coltrane-album).\nIt is widely believed that Coltrane conceived of and performed the composition in response to the [16th Street Baptist Church bombing](https://bliptext.com/articles/16th-street-baptist-church-bombing) on September 15, 1963—an attack by the [Ku Klux Klan](https://bliptext.com/articles/ku-klux-klan) in [Birmingham, Alabama](https://bliptext.com/articles/birmingham-alabama), that killed four [African-American](https://bliptext.com/articles/african-american) girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11).\n\n# History\nJazz historian [Bill Cole](https://bliptext.com/articles/bill-cole-musician), in his 1977 book, John Coltrane, states that Coltrane composed \"Alabama\" as a memorial to the four victims.\nThe date of the first recording – November 18, 1963 – was 64 days days after the [bombing](https://bliptext.com/articles/16th-street-baptist-church-bombing) and 4 days days before the [assassination of John F. Kennedy](https://bliptext.com/articles/assassination-of-john-f-kennedy).\nCole asserts that the melodic line \"was developed from the rhythmic inflections of a speech given by [Dr. Martin Luther King](https://bliptext.com/articles/dr-martin-luther-king).\"\nColtrane, Tyner, Garrison, and Jones, again, recorded \"Alabama\" – along with \"[Afro Blue](https://bliptext.com/articles/afro-blue)\" and \"[Impressions](https://bliptext.com/articles/impressions-instrumental-composition)\" – for a 30-minute TV episode of [Jazz Casual](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz-casual), hosted by [Ralph J. Gleason](https://bliptext.com/articles/ralph-j-gleason).\nThe group recorded it December 7, 1963, at [KQED TV](https://bliptext.com/articles/kqed-tv) in [San Francisco](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco).\nThe episode was broadcast February 19, 1964, on [WNET](https://bliptext.com/articles/wnet) TV in New York, and February 23, 1964, on [KQED TV](https://bliptext.com/articles/kqed-tv) in San Francisco.\nThe quartet had been performing a twelve-day gig at the [Jazz Workshop](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz-workshop) in [San Francisco](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco), nightly, from November 26, 1963, through December 8, 1963.\n\n## Recording by legacies of the original artists\n\"Alabama\" was one of the tracks on [Jack DeJohnette](https://bliptext.com/articles/jack-dejohnette)'s 2016 album, [In Movement](https://bliptext.com/articles/in-movement) (recorded October 2015 at [Avatar Studios](https://bliptext.com/articles/avatar-studios) in the [Hell's Kitchen](https://bliptext.com/articles/hell-s-kitchen-manhattan) neighborhood of [Midtown Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/midtown-manhattan)).\nThe other two musicians on the album, [Ravi Coltrane](https://bliptext.com/articles/ravi-coltrane) (saxophone) and [Matthew Garrison](https://bliptext.com/articles/matthew-garrison) (bass), are the sons of the musicians on the original 1963 recording.\nIn Movement was released June 5, 2016, in two formats – as a [CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) and as 2 [LPs](https://bliptext.com/articles/lp-records) ([ECM](https://bliptext.com/articles/ecm-records) 2488).\nMusic journalist [Richard Williams](https://bliptext.com/articles/richard-williams-journalist) pointed out that the personal connection to \"Alabama\" extended to DeJohnette, who not only had performed with John Coltrane, but had known Ravi and Matt since they were children.\nIn addition, Jack is Matt's godfather and when Matt returned to the United States after living with his mother in Italy for 11 years he moved in with Jack.\nThe trio – Jack, Ravi and Matt – performed \"Alabama\" on the fifth day of the [Berlin Jazz Festival](https://bliptext.com/articles/berlin-jazz-festival), November 5, 2016 and again at a free concert in Central Park on June 16, 2019 which lasted 5:17 minutes and can be seen below.\nhttps://share.icloud.com/photos/0cengAvBU928bvQcxjrZ1YbOg\n\n# Selected sessionography\n\n# Videography and filmography\n

[Quest](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) WPCP-5094

[Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9 45130-2 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd))

[Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9 45130-4 ([cassette](https://bliptext.com/articles/cassette-tape))

[Reprise Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/reprise-records) 9 45130-2 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd))

[Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9362-45130-1 ([LP](https://bliptext.com/articles/lp-record))

[Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) WB[CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) 1752 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd))

[Reprise Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/reprise-records) WB[CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) 1752 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd))

[BMG Direct Marketing, Inc.](https://bliptext.com/articles/bmg-rights-management) D 100372\n\n## Original copyright\n

\n\n## Annotations","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-26T11:19:00.286Z","updated_at":"2025-01-26T11:19:00.286Z","search_vector":"'alabama':1 'coltran':3 'john':2 'song':4","search_content":" \n \n\n# \n\"**Alabama**\" is a musical composition by the American jazz artist [John Coltrane](https://bliptext.com/articles/john-coltrane), first recorded in 1963 by Coltrane with [McCoy Tyner](https://bliptext.com/articles/mccoy-tyner), [Jimmy Garrison](https://bliptext.com/articles/jimmy-garrison), and [Elvin Jones](https://bliptext.com/articles/elvin-jones).\nTwo takes from that session appear on Coltrane's 1964 album [Live at Birdland](https://bliptext.com/articles/live-at-birdland-john-coltrane-album).\nIt is widely believed that Coltrane conceived of and performed the composition in response to the [16th Street Baptist Church bombing](https://bliptext.com/articles/16th-street-baptist-church-bombing) on September 15, 1963—an attack by the [Ku Klux Klan](https://bliptext.com/articles/ku-klux-klan) in [Birmingham, Alabama](https://bliptext.com/articles/birmingham-alabama), that killed four [African-American](https://bliptext.com/articles/african-american) girls: Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11).\n\n# History\nJazz historian [Bill Cole](https://bliptext.com/articles/bill-cole-musician), in his 1977 book, John Coltrane, states that Coltrane composed \"Alabama\" as a memorial to the four victims.\nThe date of the first recording – November 18, 1963 – was 64 days days after the [bombing](https://bliptext.com/articles/16th-street-baptist-church-bombing) and 4 days days before the [assassination of John F. Kennedy](https://bliptext.com/articles/assassination-of-john-f-kennedy).\nCole asserts that the melodic line \"was developed from the rhythmic inflections of a speech given by [Dr. Martin Luther King](https://bliptext.com/articles/dr-martin-luther-king).\"\nColtrane, Tyner, Garrison, and Jones, again, recorded \"Alabama\" – along with \"[Afro Blue](https://bliptext.com/articles/afro-blue)\" and \"[Impressions](https://bliptext.com/articles/impressions-instrumental-composition)\" – for a 30-minute TV episode of [Jazz Casual](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz-casual), hosted by [Ralph J. Gleason](https://bliptext.com/articles/ralph-j-gleason).\nThe group recorded it December 7, 1963, at [KQED TV](https://bliptext.com/articles/kqed-tv) in [San Francisco](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco).\nThe episode was broadcast February 19, 1964, on [WNET](https://bliptext.com/articles/wnet) TV in New York, and February 23, 1964, on [KQED TV](https://bliptext.com/articles/kqed-tv) in San Francisco.\nThe quartet had been performing a twelve-day gig at the [Jazz Workshop](https://bliptext.com/articles/jazz-workshop) in [San Francisco](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco), nightly, from November 26, 1963, through December 8, 1963.\n\n## Recording by legacies of the original artists\n\"Alabama\" was one of the tracks on [Jack DeJohnette](https://bliptext.com/articles/jack-dejohnette)'s 2016 album, [In Movement](https://bliptext.com/articles/in-movement) (recorded October 2015 at [Avatar Studios](https://bliptext.com/articles/avatar-studios) in the [Hell's Kitchen](https://bliptext.com/articles/hell-s-kitchen-manhattan) neighborhood of [Midtown Manhattan](https://bliptext.com/articles/midtown-manhattan)).\nThe other two musicians on the album, [Ravi Coltrane](https://bliptext.com/articles/ravi-coltrane) (saxophone) and [Matthew Garrison](https://bliptext.com/articles/matthew-garrison) (bass), are the sons of the musicians on the original 1963 recording.\nIn Movement was released June 5, 2016, in two formats – as a [CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) and as 2 [LPs](https://bliptext.com/articles/lp-records) ([ECM](https://bliptext.com/articles/ecm-records) 2488).\nMusic journalist [Richard Williams](https://bliptext.com/articles/richard-williams-journalist) pointed out that the personal connection to \"Alabama\" extended to DeJohnette, who not only had performed with John Coltrane, but had known Ravi and Matt since they were children.\nIn addition, Jack is Matt's godfather and when Matt returned to the United States after living with his mother in Italy for 11 years he moved in with Jack.\nThe trio – Jack, Ravi and Matt – performed \"Alabama\" on the fifth day of the [Berlin Jazz Festival](https://bliptext.com/articles/berlin-jazz-festival), November 5, 2016 and again at a free concert in Central Park on June 16, 2019 which lasted 5:17 minutes and can be seen below.\nhttps://share.icloud.com/photos/0cengAvBU928bvQcxjrZ1YbOg\n\n# Selected sessionography\n\n# Videography and filmography\n [Quest](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) WPCP-5094 \n [Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9 45130-2 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd)) \n [Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9 45130-4 ([cassette](https://bliptext.com/articles/cassette-tape)) \n [Reprise Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/reprise-records) 9 45130-2 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd)) \n [Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) 9362-45130-1 ([LP](https://bliptext.com/articles/lp-record)) \n [Qwest Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/qwest-records) WB[CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) 1752 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd)) \n [Reprise Records](https://bliptext.com/articles/reprise-records) WB[CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd) 1752 ([CD](https://bliptext.com/articles/cd)) \n [BMG Direct Marketing, Inc.](https://bliptext.com/articles/bmg-rights-management) D 100372 \n\n## Original copyright\n \n\n## Annotations","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}