“Acknowledgment” (1964) – John Coltrane * Written by John Coltrane * LP: A Love Supreme * Producer: Bob Thiele * Label: Impulse
All seven-plus minutes of the opening track on John Coltrane’s heady jazz touchstone A Love Supreme sound like the prelude to something big. The album is a four-part suite, like an Indian raga. When “Acknowledgment” begins with Coltrane’s sax sounding like the calls of some mythological bird, one envisions temple gates swinging open, audiences kneeling, and presentations of floral offerings. Then Jimmy Garrison’s bass groove floats in, after which the improv gushes forth like expressions of devotion, and the “love supreme” chant brings it all to a mystical fade. It’s only the intro, but you’ll remember it as the album’s heart. (McCoy Tyner: piano; Elvin Jones: drums.)