John Coltrane Documentary ‘Chasing Trane’ Gets Release Date
Abramorama will handle the North American theatrical distribution of John Scheinfeld’s “Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary.”
The film will hit theaters in April after premiering at the Telluride Film Festival in September, followed by showings at the Toronto International Film Festival, IDFA, and DOC NYC. It includes interviews with Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Cornel West, President Bill Clinton, and Common, with Coltrane’s own words spoken by Denzel Washington.
The film is produced by Spencer Proffer, John Beug, Scott Pascucci, and Dave Harding. “Chasing Trane” will be released theatrically beginning in New York on April 14, with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and additional cities to follow.
Coltrane, an iconic saxophone player credited with revolutionizing jazz during the 1950s, died of liver cancer in 1967 at the age of 40. He did not do any television interviews during his lifetime and only gave a handful of radio interviews, so Washington was approached to perform the voice of the musician.
“In many of his roles Denzel radiates an exceptional quiet strength,” Scheinfeld said. “Coltrane, many of his friends told me, embodied a similar strength. That’s why Denzel was my first choice to speak his words and I’m thrilled he made the time to participate in our film.”
Scheinfeld’s credits include “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” and “Who Is Harry Nilsson?” The film is produced with the participation of the Coltrane family and the support of the record labels that collectively own the Coltrane catalog.
Abromarma has specialized in releasing music documentaries such as Ron Howard’s “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years,” which grossed nearly $3 million last fall, along with Cameron Crowe’s “Pearl Jam Twenty,” Sacha Gervasi’s “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” Green Day’s “Heart Like a Hand Grenade,” and Dave Stewart’s “Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams.”
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