John Coltrane - Jazz Casual (2003)

No musician in the history of jazz polarized the jazz community more than John Coltrane. It's ironic that as gentle and spiritual a person as Trane could have created so much controversy as a consequence of his endless search for pure expression. For as much Sturm and Drang has swirled around him and his music, there is relatively little of him that survives on videotape or film. In fact, this appearance on Jazz Casual is the only known video performance of his classic quartet that was made in America.
It was his comfort with, and trust in, Ralph J. Gleason that got him to perform on this show. For those of us who saw him live in his prime, this is a pleasant reminder of just how magnificent and singular an American artist John Coltrane was. For many, the "golden age" of jazz came to an end when Trane died at so young an age.
—Joel Dorn