Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey

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Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey

by Gary Golio, Rudy Gutierrez (Illustrations)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 46 ratings · 21 reviews

Growing up, John was a seeker. He wondered about spirit, and the meaning of life. And whether music could be a key to unlocking those mysteries. Like his grandfather’s preaching and his parents’ songs, could John’s music bring people closer to God?
Told in moving prose and powerfully illustrated, this is the story of a shy, curious boy from a deeply religious family who gr...more

Hardcover, 48 pages

Published October 23rd 2012 by Clarion Books

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Apr 06, 2013 Jim Erekson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: picturebooks, biography

It was Gutierrez' manic fauvre illustration that made this book move--my son sat and looked at pp 32-33 for a long time. The pictures prompted me to get online and listen to something new. I looked at the Expression album, and the music is just wildly abstract--"Offering" and "To Be".

The text delivered a fairly straight biography, with an unwavering line toward Coltrane's religious enlightenment. That was what Golio chose as the story to tell. He chose to do the full life from childhood up. Hm....more

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Dec 28, 2012 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Is there any complicated hero with a past so full of darkness that their life cannot be recounted to children? This is the conundrum of any author who takes it upon his or herself to tell the stories of people who didn't grow up happy, live lightly, and die laughing in their beds. The most interesting stories are sometimes the ones about folks who look into the eye of the devil and walk away the wiser. Trouble is, it can be hard to figure out whether or not theirs is a story kids need to know. T...more Is there any complicated hero with a past so full of darkness that their life cannot be recounted to children? This is the conundrum of any author who takes it upon his or herself to tell the stories of people who didn't grow up happy, live lightly, and die laughing in their beds. The most interesting stories are sometimes the ones about folks who look into the eye of the devil and walk away the wiser. Trouble is, it can be hard to figure out whether or not theirs is a story kids need to know. They might love the life of Charlie Chaplin, but do you bring up his penchant for the very young ladies? Bob Marley did great things in his life . . . and consumed great amounts of drugs. Do you talk to kids about him? In the end, it all comes down to the skill of the biographer. The person who sits down and turns a great man or woman into a 32-48 page subject, appropriate for kids too young to watch PG-13 films on their own. To do it adequately is admirable. To do it brilliantly, as it's done in Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane's Musical Journey is worthy of higher praise.

He led as perfect a childhood as any African-American kid in the late 1930s could hope for. A loving family, two grandfather preachers, a great musician for a dad, the works. But all that came before the deaths. First his grandfather, then his father, then his grandmother too. Things grew dark for John, but an opportunity to learn the saxophone for free arose. It became John's new religion, and the void inside him was easily filled by drugs and alcohol. He was brilliant at the instrument but was his own worst enemy when his addictions held sway. Golio tells the tale of how one young man bucked his fate and went on to become a leader in more ways than one. An Afterward, Author's Note, Artist's Note, and Sources and Resources appear at the end.

In any picture book biography (and this applies to bio pics on the silver screen too) the author needs to determine whether or not they're going to try to cover the wide swath of their subject's life, or if they're going to select a single incident or turning point in that life and use that as the basis of their interpretation. Golio almost has it both ways. He's certainly more in the wide swath camp, his book extending from John the child to John the successful and happy (relatively) adult. But within that storyline Golio takes care to build on certain images and themes. Reading through it you come to understand that he is showing how a happy child can become a brilliant but cursed young man, and then can escape his own personal demons, inspiring others even as he inspires himself. Under Golio's hand Coltrane's early exposure to religion reverberates every time he seeks out more spiritual knowledge, regardless of the sect. He loses so many people he loves (to say nothing of financial stability) then grows up to become the perfect melding of both his grandfather and his father.

Just as Golio builds on repeating images and themes in his text, so too does artist Rudy Gutierrez make a go of it in his art. The author/artist pairing on picture book is so often a case of an author writing a story, handing it over to their editor, that editor assigning it to an illustrator, and the illustrator working on the piece without any interaction with its original creator. It seems like a kind of crazy way to make great picture books, and many times the art and the text won't meld as beautifully as they could. Then you'll see a book like Spirit Seeker and though I know that "Gary Golio" is not a pseudonym for "Rudy Gutierrez" (or vice-versa) it sure feels like the two slaved together over each double-paged spread. I suppose the bulk of that credit lies with Gutierrez, all fairness to Golio's text admitted. Gutierrez explains in his Artist's Note at the end of the book that Coltrane was such an "artistic angel" to him that he fasted for two weeks so as to best focus, meditate, pray and paint this book. The result is a product that looks as though someone cared and cared deeply about the subject matter.

Mind you, the book will do kids and adults little good unless they like Gutierrez's style. I happen to find it remarkable. He strikes the perfect balance between the literal and allegorical representation of certain aspects of Coltrane's life. Some artists fall too far on one side or the other of that equation. Gutierrez isn't afraid to attempt both at once. You've the energy of his lines trying to replicate the energy of the music, John's grandfather's preaching, his spiritual journey, etc. There are moments when you can actually sit a kid down and ask them something like, "What do you think it means when that single curving line moves from John's father's violin to his son's heart?" At the same time, you know that Gutierrez is doing a stand up and cheer job of replicating the faces of the real people in this book time and time again. The melding of the two, sad to say, does turn a certain type of reader off. Fortunately I think that a close rereading can allay most fears.

In my own case, it took several rereadings before I began to pick up on Gutierrez's repeated tropes. Golio begins the book with a description of John sitting in his grandfather's church, his mother at the organ, the words of the sermon making a deep and lasting impression. That passage is recalled near the end of the book when John does his own form of "preaching" with his horn. As the text says, he was, "a holy man, shouting out his love of man to the whole human race." You could be forgiven for not at first noticing that the image of John's grandfather at the start of the book, hunched over a pulpit, the curve of his body lending itself to the curve of his words, is recalled in the very similar image of John's and his saxophone, the curve of HIS body lending itself to the curve of his saxaphone's music near the book's end. Notice that and you start jumping back to see what else might have passed you by. The image of the dove (my favorite of these being when John meets Naima and two doves' tails swirl to almost become a white rose). There's so much to see in each page that you could reread this book twenty different times and make twenty different discoveries in the art alone.

I've mentioned earlier that there are some folks that don't care for Gutierrez's style. Nothing to be done about that. It's the folks that object to doing an honest bio of Coltrane in the first place that give me the willies. I have honestly heard folks object to this story because it discusses John's drug use. And it does. No question. You see the days when his deep sadness caused him to start drinking early on. You see his experiments with drugs and the idea some musicians harbored that it would make them better. But by the same token it would be a pretty lackadaisical reader to fail to notice that drugs and alcohol are the clear villains of the piece. Gutierrez does amazing things with these light and dark aspects of John's personality. On the one hand he might be looking at the symbols of countless world religions. Then on the facing page is an opposite silhouette of John, the borders little more than the frightening red crayon scratchings of a lost soul. Read the book and you discover what he did to free himself from his trap. Golio even goes so far as to include a lengthy and in-depth "Author's Note: Musicians and Drug Use" to clarify any points that might confuse a young reader. Let's just say, all the bases are covered here. These two guys know what they are doing.

If there is any aspect of the design of the book that makes me grind my teeth to a fine powder it's the typeface of the text. I'm not a typeface nerd. Comic Sans does not strike a chord of loathing in my heart as it does with others. That said, I do harbor a very strong dislike of this horrendous LA Headlights BTN they chose to set this story in. It fails utterly to complement the writing or the tone or the art in any way, shape, or form and makes the reading process distinctly unpleasant. They say that in some cultures artists will include a single flaw in a work because otherwise that piece would be perfect and only God is true perfection. With that in mind, I'll consider this the single flaw that keeps Spirit Seeker from attaining a higher calling.

The reason Coltrane works as well as he does as a subject is that his is a story of redemption. Not just the redemption of a life freed from the power of drugs and alcohol, but a spiritual redemption and reawakening as well. It would pair beautifully with books like Malcolm X A Fire Burning Brightly by Walter Dean Myers which perfectly complement this idea. It is the only real picture book bio of Coltrane worth considering, and a kind of living work of art as well. Melding great text with imagery that goes above and beyond the call of duty, this is one biography that truly does its subject justice. Complex in all the right ways.

For ages 6 and up. (less)

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Nov 05, 2012 Margo Tanenbaum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books, biography, african-american

In this new book by author Gary Golio, he adds John Coltrane to his growing collection of picture book biographies of musical greats. Earlier books profiled Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. While these musicians might not seem like typical fodder for children's picture books, this format, with its striking and inspirational illustrations, is in fact ideal for stimulating young people's interests in these iconic musicians.

The book's title page features the following quote from Coltrane: "My music is...more In this new book by author Gary Golio, he adds John Coltrane to his growing collection of picture book biographies of musical greats. Earlier books profiled Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. While these musicians might not seem like typical fodder for children's picture books, this format, with its striking and inspirational illustrations, is in fact ideal for stimulating young people's interests in these iconic musicians.

The book's title page features the following quote from Coltrane: "My music is the spiritual expression of what I am...I want to speak to their souls." We first meet John Coltrane as a young boy, in North Carolina in 1938, listening to his grandfather preaching on a Sunday morning about the power of the Spirit. John's life was "like a little slice of heaven," with plenty of food, games, and a loving family surrounding him. His father, an amateur musician, filled the house with his singing and tunes from his ukulele and violin.

But at the age of 12, John lost his two grandfathers, his grandmother, and his father in rapid succession. Turning to music for consolation, he was fortunate to receive a used alto sax, which he soon took everywhere, practicing for hours and hours. Moving to Philadelphia, he began playing with big bands and blues groups, and absorbing the music of jazz greats like Charlie "Bird" Parker. Although he was achieving success, life on the road was lonely, and John turned to alcohol and drugs for company, turning away from his spiritual underpinnings. Soon "he had to choose, between the dead end of drugs or a life rich with music." Will he find the strength to get clean and regain his inspiration?

Golio's narrative features Coltrane's spiritual journey front and center, in which he used music in his attempt to "unlock the mysteries of life." Coltrane's spiritual explorations culminated with his masterpiece, A Love Supreme, which Golio poetically describes as the "song of the human heart reaching up to heaven."

In addition to being an accomplished author, Golio is a licensed therapist who specializes in treating addiction problems, which may be part of the reason he feels comfortable interpreting the stories of musicians such as Coltrane and Hendrix for young people. The book's afterword includes a note on musicians and drug use, in which Golio explains that while musicians are no different from other people who use alcohol and drugs to deal with their emotions, they may be even more vulnerable to addiction due to the demands of touring and performing and the belief many artists have that drugs can make a person more "free" or "creative."

Golio has a gift for expressing music with words, just as Coltrane turned feelings into sounds. But it is impossible to discuss this work without highlighting the outstanding illustration by Rudy Gutierrez, a Pura Belpre Honor-winning artist who has also designed album covers and clearly has an affinity for music. In an artist's note, he explains that he fasted for two weeks and meditated, much as Coltrane did when he composed A Love Supreme, to seek inspiration for illustrating Golio's tribute to Coltrane. The illustrations include acrylic paintings and mixed media pieces done with colored pencils, crayons, and acrylics. The dream-like compositions, dramatic movements and use of contrasting and complementary colors evoke the energy of Coltrane's music. (less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Richie Partington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Richie’s Picks: SPIRIT SEEKER: JOHN COLTRANE’S MUSICAL JOURNEY by Gary Golio and Rudy Gutierrez, ill., Clarion, October 2012, 48p., ISBN: 978-0-547-23994-1

“After joining the high school band, John took his horn everywhere. Music made him happy, and it seemed like what he was meant to do with his life.
“As he listened to Johnny Hodges – a musician in Duke Ellington’s band with a sound soft as velvet – John felt the sax become more a part of him. He loved the clicking of the keys, the feel of the m...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alcohol, art, biography, cultural-identity, depression, faith, families, music, ncbla2013, picture-book

Filled with memorable acrylic and mixed media illustrations created with colored pencils, crayons, and acrylics that swirl about the pages in mesmerizing fashion, this picture book biography traces the influences on jazz musician John Coltrane. Music and religion were important throughout his life, and the author describes his struggles with alcohol and drugs, and how he lost his way after the deaths of many family members and later as a professional musician. But through it all, Coltrane has hi...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a gripping biography picture book about the life of John Coltrane's musical journey from childhood through adulthood. Amazingly told and beautifully illustrated. The mixed media paintings that illumine the text bring to life the dulcet tones of Coltrane's music and improvisations that made hime famous. The colors employed by Rudy Gutierrez reflect the joyful and dark times of Coltrane's storied career. The combination of text and illustration make this a picture appropriate for children...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-2012-2013, nonfiction-2013, middle-grades, picture-books-2012-2013

This book is a truthful picture book biography of John Coltrane. It does not shy away from the bad things in his life (loss of father and grandparents at an early age as well as the drug and alcohol abuse of his later years), but it does not dwell on them either. This book shows the trials and the triumphs of Coltrane's life, and it focuses on the triumphs - the loving childhood, the passion of his music, the hard work, the learning, the strength to overcome his addictions, his spirituality (wit...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Kris Odahowski rated it 4 of 5 stars

Spirit Seeker wows with illustrations that speak to the reader, I wish the format could be smaller to attract an older readers. The book has a powerful message about finding a spiritual path and the difficult process of recovery from addiction. The illustrations are some of the most beautiful illustration I have seen in a Children's book. This books is available or check out from the Gadsden County Public Library.

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Nov 29, 2012 Shelli rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books, non-fiction

While I found this picture book/biography on John Coltrane entertaining and informative I don't know if most kids would relate to this, or enjoy. From a resource book report standpoint for students, this would be an easy to follow, not overwhelming with facts format. This book should have come with a cd with at least 1 of Mr. Coltrane’s songs.

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Dec 25, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

John Coltrane was called to heights of faith, raised to mountaintops by music, and driven to depths by loss and addiction. His life swirled like the notes of his saxophone in the chaotic birth of jazz. This book, in a spare forty pages of tight language and lush illustrations, will make you FEEL the man and his music.

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Jan 24, 2013 Macallan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Incredibly beautiful illustrations. Good overview of Coltrane's life and music in 39 pages. Does not shy from the drug use in Coltrane's life, but also doesn't dwell on it. I would have liked a bit less of his early life and a bit more of his Giant Steps to Ascension development. Solid thumbs up overall.

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Mar 27, 2013 Kifflie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: picture-books, youth-nonfiction

Wow. This is absolutely gorgeous. The art just sings. It's a synesthetic experience -- the colors, the movement, the framing all have a melody and rhythm. And it's joined perfectly with the text to fuse a terrific telling of the story of jazz great John Coltrane.

I had to read this twice. And I may have to actually buy a copy of it to savor at my leisure. And do this while enjoying a glass of good wine and listening to Coltrane's music.

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Oct 06, 2012 Donalyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ncbla-committee-2013-books, mg-ya-picture-books-nonfiction

Rudy Gutierrez's stunning mixed media illustrations flow and swirl across the pages-- evoking the fluid beauty of Coltrane's music. An outstanding biography about an influential musician unknown to many children.

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May 06, 2013 Abby Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gorgeous, deep and colorful artwork brings the evocative words to life in this biography of jazz musician John Coltrane. Artfully done. Don't let the kids miss this one.

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Oct 24, 2012 Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, biography-biographical, mg, music, nfpb2012

Loved the illustrations in this biographical picture book about John Coltrane - definitely a fave of the year.

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Nov 12, 2012 Yoo Kyung Sung rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-ncbla, multicultural-lit

GREAT illustration adds up the vibrant nature of the "unknown" musician, John Coltrane" story!

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Mar 14, 2013 Kris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, middle-school, picture-books, upper-elementary

Crazy-love the art in this one. Great, honest, hopeful biography.

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Oct 22, 2012 Edward Sullivan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, children-s-nonfiction, music

Stunningly illustrated, informative, and insightful.

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Mar 01, 2013 Kimberly Wargin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: inspirational, picture-book

Exceptional storytelling. Beautifully written.

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Apr 10, 2013 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, non-fiction

An outstanding biography.

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Dec 30, 2012 Nativida rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, illustrations, non-fiction

Didn't know anything about Coltrane's life, only his music. This book brings a new depth and richness to listening to his recorded work.

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May 09, 2013 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 07, 2013 Karen marked it as to-read

Shelves: at-bjhs, ya-or-mg-reads

May 03, 2013 Kate marked it as to-read

Apr 19, 2013 Audra Rowell marked it as to-read

Apr 11, 2013 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 10, 2013 Ângela marked it as to-read

Apr 08, 2013 Cooper Branch added it

Shelves: c-biography-k-3, p-music

Mar 29, 2013 Andrea Labonte rated it 1 of 5 stars

Mar 28, 2013 Manitowoc Public Library marked it as to-read

Shelves: new-youth-non-fiction

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