In the biggest Coltrane marketing push since his death in 1967 at the age of 40, record companies are playing directly to the youth market. The newly revived Impulse! label is using print ads and a line of hip-hop clothing to pitch Coltrane as the epitome of ’90s cool. “Jazz has depth to it,” says Jamie Kahn, a 24-year-old fan from New York. “Coltrane’s for folks who are tired of what’s coming out of the radio.” “Red Hot and Cool,” an Impulse! fusion of rap and jazz that borrowed heavily from the mesmerizing vamp on Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” was a hit last year. Impulse! has also reissued “A Love Supreme” on vinyl, a bid for play by trendsetting dance-club deejays. Rhino Records offers “The Heavyweight Champion,” a seven-disc compilation. The inclusion of previously unreleased outtakes from some of Coltrane’s most memorable tunes angers some peers. “After the artist is dead, I just don’t think it’s ethical,” says drummer Elvin Jones. But now that he’s hip again, look for more vintage Coltrane to be mined from the vaults.
