It does not attempt an in-depth analysis but does discuss Coltrane’s musical development in in­telligent terms. It also considers the spiritual aspect of the man and looks briefly at the way in which his be­liefs affected his playing. The book, in seeing Coltrane as a great figure, does tend to over-estimate the amount of purely pioneer work he did. Miles Davis’s tremendous influence and musical guidance is underplayed when it would have been a valuable subject to examine. Chasin’ The Trane: Music And Mystique Of John Coltrane, by J. C. Thomas (Elm Tree Books, £4.50)