I've mentioned in other blog posts about John Coltrane's troubles during the 1962 to early 1963 timeframe. He had been experiencing adverse criticism in the music press, he had mouthpiece troubles, embouchure trouble, perhaps due to dental issues, and marital problems. Frank Kofsky's extensive interview with Coltrane in 1965 has been making really interesting reading. Trane was known for not really opening up during interviews, but he did much more so for Kofsky. What's seems clear to me now is that Trane was suffering from a crisis of confidence during the 1962/1963 period, which was likely triggered by his family problems, then exacerbated by his horn problems, then the critics. Trane felt his mouthpiece was not allowing him to perform accurately at speed the way he wanted, but in retrospect it probably was. He didn't replace the mouthpiece, and after a year he just felt comfortable again. Impulse's desire to broaden Coltrane's catalogue worked at that p
Jamo Spingal