Summary: John Scheinfeld (director) and John Densmore (musician) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Film synopsis: Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary is a thought-provoking, uplifting and powerful film about jazz giant John Coltrane, an outside-the-box thinker whose boundary-shattering music continues to impact and influence people around the world. This rich, textured and compelling portrait of a remarkable artist reveals the critical events, passions, experiences and challenges that shaped his life and revolutionary sounds—a story of demons and darkness, of persistence and redemption. The beauty, poignancy, energy, pain, joy and inspiration heard in nearly 50 Coltrane recordings from throughout his career brings alive the artist and the times in which he lived. Although Coltrane never participated in any television interviews (and only a handful for radio), he has an active and vibrant presence in the film through his print interviews. These words—spoken by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington—illuminate what Coltrane was thinking and feeling at critical moments throughout his life and career. Includes appearances by Coltrane’s children, President Bill Clinton, Common, John Densmore of The Doors, Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Dr. Cornel West and more. Directed by John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon).
