Psalm
Context
Coltrane presents the piece as a “musical narration”; Lewis Porter speaks of a “recitation without words.” The poem in the liner notes is “played” on the saxophone without being spoken, and some scholars see in it a homage to the sermons of African American preachers.
In the genealogy of jazz
This track belongs to Spiritual jazz, Modal. Among the origins and influences of Spiritual jazz: Modal, Free jazz.