The music of now legendary jazz saxophonist John William Coltrane, a devout Christian in his later years, has had a powerful, even life-changing, impact on listeners over the years. After kicking a heroin addiction, Coltrane completely shifted the course of jazz and, today, continues to win over new fans with his soulful, timeless sound. The photo gallery above features a collection of icons of "Trane," as well as some other familiar and less familiar subjects, painted by American artist Mark Dukes.
The most dramatic example of Coltrane's music changing people's lives occurred when a saxophone-playing bishop and his wife established Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church in San Francisco after experiencing what they described as a sound baptism at a Coltrane concert some years earlier. The Coltrane Church, now in operation for more than 40 years, delivers a musical service with full jazz ensemble every Sunday that includes Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" as part of the Divine Liturgy.
It was inside the walls of this small church where American artist Mark Dukes, then an aspiring icon painter, met founders Archbishop Franzo W. King and Reverend Mother Marina King, and got an invitation that would change the course of his life.
"A friend took me to the Coltrane Church one day and I happened to take along an egg that I had etched an icon on while studying at a monastery," explains Dukes to CBC Music by phone from Thailand. "When Archbishop King saw me he shouted 'Hallelujah! You have finally arrived. We've been looking for an iconographer.'"
"Archbishop King invited me to do an icon of Coltrane and told me to listen to Coltrane's music to find inspiration for my first icon commission," Dukes continues. "It took a while, but sure enough, one night I had a vision. I dreamed I was floating in a field of stars when an image of John Coltrane came rushing at me from out of the stars like a space ship out of Star Trek. A voice told me to paint the John Coltrane icon just like it appeared in the vision. And I did."
Dukes painted three icons of Coltrane, and other subjects including Jesus Christ, suitably adorned with dreadlocks to reflect the inclusive spirit of the African Orthodox Church.
Dukes went on to become a deacon in the Coltrane Church and subsequently took a commission to paint icons for another, much larger, Bay Area house of worship, the Saint Gregory Nyssa Episcopal Church. This ambitious undertaking, called the "Dancing Saints Icons" project, features icons of Malcolm X, Anne Frank, Charles Darwin, John Coltrane and Ella Fitzgerald among many others. The icons are comprehensively documented at the All Saints Company website here.
Now on hiatus from icon painting, Dukes explains that he continues his connection with the Coltrane Church in San Francisco. "The Bishop always calls me on my birthday and I tell him I wish I could be there to help with the Lord's work. The Bishop tells me it's not a problem because my icons keep preaching even when I'm not there."
The Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church will hold an Easter mass starting at 11:45 a.m. this Sunday in San Francisco. Dukes's icons and Coltrane's compositions will help set the tone for all who attend the service.
Related:
Interview with Mark Dukes and Archbishop Franzo W. King