Jazz on Screen: John Coltrane, Soundtracking Cinema: Blues

Starting with Soul On Ice by Afro-Brazilian pioneer Zózimo Bulbul, who dedicated his film to Coltrane and uses the 1965 free-jazz piece Kulu Se Mama to guide his reflections on Brazilian history.

Melvonna Ballenger’s Rain (Nyesha), associated with the foundational LA Rebellion movement, uses After the Rain as the soundtrack to this poetic black-and-white short, on a young woman's reflections on life and politics.

The centrepiece is Spike Lee’s mammoth Mo’ Better Blues, originally titled A Love Supreme, Lee’s film follows trumpeter Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) and his trials and tribulations trying to establish himself as a jazz great, amidst his increasingly chaotic lifestyle.

The climax draws from Coltrane's masterpiece, infusing with A Love Supreme’s exploration of spiritual awakening in the face of overcoming demons and addiction.