Director John Scheinfeld on New Coltrane Doc, "Chasing Trane"

Chasing Trane is more than a clever play on words. It’s more than landmark documentary. It’s more than an in–depth discussion on a musical genius. It’s a continuous journey down a path of enlightenment, love, spirituality, and healing.

By definition, John Coltrane is listed as a jazz musician. However, his presence extends beyond the notes, melodies, chords, and key changes printed on the sheets of his compositions. The 40–year footprints of his “Giant Steps” are firmly embedded in the infrastructure of fans and musicians spanning all genres across the globe.

Coltrane was a man of few public words. His music served as oratorical gems addressing a variety of topics. Despite the limited soundbites in an open setting, Coltrane’s personality, intimate relationships, pitfalls of his heroin addiction, personal philosophy, and spiritual focus are brilliantly packaged like a CD box set in Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary directed by John Scheinfeld, who previously made The U.S. vs. John Lennon and Who Is Harry Nilsson...?.

Bringing Coltrane To Life On–Screen

Chasing Trane is the byproduct of a conversation with colleagues at Crew Neck Productions following a discussion on Coltrane’s legacy. And although he initially began as a casual Coltrane fan, Scheinfeld quickly developed a fondness for the musician with each passing day of research and writing. Scheinfeld began shooting in the summer of 2015. His focus was to paint a vivid cinematic portrait of the complexities of Coltrane’s life from birth till his final breath.

We all know the cliché story of the young musician with talent who comes from nowhere, has amazing success, makes a lot of money, abuses substances, and dies young. We all know this story. Coltrane was the antithesis of that." - John Scheinfeld

“One of my main objectives with Chasing Trane was to bring John Coltrane alive as a three–dimensional human being. The more l looked into his story, the more I thought this is very special. We all know the cliché story of the young musician with talent who comes from nowhere, has amazing success, makes a lot of money, abuses substances, and dies young. We all know this story. Coltrane was the antithesis of that,” said Scheinfeld.

“Yes, he had his challenges early on, but it’s when he kicked his addiction that he began to ascend, exploding toward the iconic status that he achieved. To me, it’s an inspiring and uplifting story. We put together financing. We secured the participation of both the Coltrane family and the three record labels — Universal Music (Blue Note and Impulse!), Rhino Entertainment (Atlantic Records), and Concord Music (Fantasy and Prestige) — that own the Coltrane catalog. Armed with all of that, it gave me the tools as the filmmaker to tell the story the right way.”

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (Official Trailer)

Chasing Trane includes never–before–seen photos, home videos, and a soundtrack with 48 Coltrane recordings. The film also features commentary from a diverse panel. Among the host of guests sharing their thoughts on the iconic saxophonist are President Bill Clinton, Sonny Rollins, Santana, Common, Wayne Shorter, Wynton Marsalis, Benny Golson, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Heath, John Densmore, Kamasi Washington, and Dr. Cornell West. Academy Award winner Denzel Washington lends his voice to the documentary, reading selective Coltrane quotes verbatim.

Enlisting Denzel Washington

Despite his popularity, Coltrane never spoke on television and only gave a handful of radio interviews. The quality of these recordings are poor and made for bad sound on film. Fortunately, Coltrane’s words were captured in newspaper and magazine articles. He also wrote liner notes for his albums. Scheinfeld shot for the moon to get a big name to read Coltrane thoughts and landed a Hollywood superstar.

“I really wanted a movie star to reread Coltrane’s words. I put together a list of about five actors and gave it to a casting director friend of mine. She told me to write me a paragraph about my vision for the film and what I wanted the stars to do,” said Scheinfeld.

“I did this on a Wednesday. On Saturday, I get a text from her saying ‘Denzel Washington is in, needs to talk to you. Here’s his phone number.’ I called him on Monday and he answered right away. He said, ‘Love Coltrane and intrigued about this, but I gotta see the film.’ We sent him the rough cut. Five days went by, and I didn’t hear a word. On the fifth day, my phone rings and he said ‘It’s beautiful, brother. When are you coming to Pittsburgh?’”

Washington was in the Steel City shooting Fences when he watched the film. Upon agreeing to partake in the documentary, Scheinfeld booked a flight to meet him. During one of his free days between filming, Washington, Scheinfeld, and an engineer gathered in the studio to record his reading of Coltrane’s words.

“He was really prepared. He knew how he wanted to interpret Coltrane. It’s not narration or mimicking Coltrane’s voice. It is his interpretation of Coltrane, much as if he had been hired as an actor to play him in a scripted feature film,” said Scheinfeld.

“The reason he was number one on my list of the five actors is because he’s a superb actor and one of the biggest movie stars in the business. But if you think about many of the roles he’s played, they’re men of quiet strength. Everybody I talked to who had known Coltrane described him in similar terms — a man of quiet strength. That’s what Denzel brings to the speaking of these words. He elevates the entire film. He’s also a jazz fan and a Coltrane fan.”

John Coltrane (Live in Germany, 1960)

Along with the previously mentioned commentators, Scheinfeld assembled Coltrane’s children — Antonia (Saeeda), Michelle, Ravi, and Oran — to share cherished memories of their dad.

“I divided the people I interviewed into four categories. The first category were people that worked with him. The second was family because they give an intimate perspective. Antonia had never given an interview about him in her life. It took me months to persuade her to do it, but she did, and I’m very pleased. She has wonderful insight into Coltrane the man and Coltrane the father,” said Scheinfeld.

“I wanted artists who had great success in their own right and who could speak to Coltrane as an influence in their art. In the fourth category, I always like to have some unexpected choices in my films, and Cornell West is one of them. I wanted him to talk largely about the black experience in America. He’s an obsessive Coltrane fan. He knew recording dates, sidemen, incidents in Coltrane’s life and connects it to the black experience. The next was Bill Clinton. He’s very knowledgeable about Coltrane and elevates the conversation in the film.”

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Coltrane Internationally

Coltrane tunes extended beyond borders, and Scheinfeld fully encompassed his international flair. He showcases footage of Coltrane’s trip to Japan, where he paid tribute to the lives lost during the bombings from World War II. He also includes interviews with Yasuhiro Fujioka and Osaharu Fukushima from Japan. Fujioka is a die–hard fan who owns a vast collection of Coltrane albums and memorabilia.

He was pushing the boundaries, the envelope. All in service of the vision he had in his head, and I just think that is admirable." - John Scheinfeld

Scheinfeld is a veteran filmmaker with an eye–popping resume full of cinematic marvels. As with all of his previous works, writing and directing Chasing Trane was a mesmerizing experience. It opened his eyes to Coltrane’s vision and enhanced his admiration for his craftsmanship.

“This film is a journey film. It’s about the spiritual journey taken by John Coltrane. It underscored, for me, something I’ve always felt strongly about. The very best artists follow their vision and dream irrespective of commercial concerns. That became crystal clear to me after I did the film. He was pushing the boundaries, the envelope. All in service of the vision he had in his head, and I just think that is admirable.”

Lead photo from www.coltranefilm.com

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