A Love Supreme

in 1957, John Coltrane joined Thelonius Monk’s band, hitting new heights in extended, ecstatic soloing. That same year, he kicked heroin, a vital step in a religious awakening that peaked with this legendary album-long hymn of praise. Coltrane’s majestic, often violent blowing (famously described as “sheets of sound”) soars with nothing but gratitude and joy. You can’t help but go with him.