I have been hearing jazz all my life. But I begin to listen to jazz the first time I heard John Coltrane’s quartet. My first album was a Verve compilation “John Coltrane For Lovers”, and it meant for me the first piece of the jazz puzzle. I began to look for the rest of the pieces.

I read about Coltrane’s career. I began to buy John Coltrane Quartet reeditions, and albums where Coltrane was sideman of another jazzmen, and albums of those jazzmen without Coltrane.

“A Love Supreme” (1964) took me too much time, because it was difficult to buy in my usual stores. Some months after I bought it, I lend it to a mate and I never saw it again. But in those months I understood the importance of those album in the history of the music.

Last year my friend Carlos brought to me a vinyl edition. A month later I found in a Fnac store a new reedition, and I bought it too.

A love supreme was the culmination of 1960-1965 Coltrane’s music evolution. And yesterday was for me the beginning and the end of a circle. Tonight, McCoy Tyner, the lone member of the Quartet that is still alive, played in Coruña. He came with Gerald Cannon at the bass and Eric Kamau at drums, and Joe Lovano as guest star. It was a vibrant concert from the beginning to the end, with only one moment for McCoy playing a ballad alone. After the first encore, people asked for more, and we think it could be possible. But it didn’t happened. McCoy was very tired. In fact we could observe how he moved out the stage slowly dragging a leg.

I waited a minute down aside the stage, then I saw a hostess and I explained her I only wanted McCoy signed the cover of the album. She kindly explained me where are the dressing room’s out doors. So I went through the crowd that was going out, rounded the building and I reached those doors. Gerald Canon was signing autographs, I gave him the programme and he signed kindly. Then he went in again with 3-4 persons that another hostess allowed it. I waited some minutes, then I got alone, so the hostess allowed me to go in too. At this point I must say it: hostess of the Opera Palace are the best in the world!!!

When I went in I saw some people taking photos with Joe Lovano, and taking photos to McCoy Tyner who was trying to rest in his dressing room, he was trying kindly to close the door . I found this action of the people disagreeable: they seemed paparazzi. I understood I would have only a chance, so I approached to him with the cover. I beg him “Please…”. He seemed surprised. I suppose it was because I was the only person there that gave him a vinyl cover. While he was signing it I said him “This album saved my life” (because I listened heavy metal before, I thought ;-)), he thanked me the words. It was the moment I never thought it could happen. 70 years of the best jazz in a humbly, tired old boy, in front of me.

After this moment I seized the opportunity to talk with Joe Lovano. He is a smiling man. We saw in the first Kamau solo how he re-adjusted the position of Kamau’s microphone, because Kamau got aware it was too much near of the drums. It was a gesture of a great professional, not of a primma donna. But he had another humbly gesture. I thanked him for the great concert, but he waved his head and made a face of self-unsatisfaction. He laughed again when I explained him I was in the ScoLoHoFo (Scofield/Lovano/Holland/Foster) concert some years ago.

The night ended for me celebrating with Guiness at Mathew’s. I went back to home to sleep soon. It was a very intense day for me