John Coltrane

from WikiMusicGuide, the free music guide. Your music wiki.

John Coltrane

Having led numerous studio sessions, established a reputation as a composer, and emerged as the leading tenor saxophonist in jazz, and one of the most influential musicians in the development of modern jazz is John Coltrane. Today, his influence is heard in the recordings of almost every young jazz musician. A man of mysticism, whose life was dedicated to sharing his vision of music with others, John was clearly a creative genius. One of his most loved album released was A Love Supreme.

About

John Coltrane or "John William Coltrane" in real life was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet North Carolina. John was the son of "John R. Coltrane", a tailor and amateur musician, and "Alice (Blair) Coltrane". Two months after his birth, His family moved in High Point, North Carolina, a town now known for its furniture industry. He had a maternal grandfather, one "William Blair", who was a widely known and charismatic preacher. He grew up in a typical southern black family, deeply religious, and steeped in tradition. Both of his parents were musicians, his father played the violin and ukulele, and his mother was a member of the church choir. Though John performed well enough in school, John was considered to be a quiet boy, and something of a loner. Quite on his own, John discovered jazz through the recordings of Count Basie and Lester Young. For several years, young John played the clarinet, however with mild interest. It was only after he heard the great alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges playing with the Duke Ellington band on the radio, that he became passionate about music. He dropped the clarinet and took up the alto saxophone. He persuaded his mother to buy him a saxophone, settling for an alto instead of a tenor because the alto was supposedly easier to handle.

When John was thirteen, he experienced several tragedies that would leave a lasting impression on him and would have a great impact on the music of his later years. Within a year, his father, his uncle, and his minister all died. He lost every important male influence in his life. Because of this his mother to move alone to Philadelphia in 1941, where the war provided relatively high-paying work. She sent money home to keep the family together. John remained in High Point until 1943. After graduating from high school in High Point, he moved to Philadelphia in 1943, where he lived in a small one-room apartment. Later in that year, he studied alto saxophone at the Ornstein School of Music, during which time he took work in a sugar refinery to support himself. His mother was at this time working in Atlantic City, and he frequently visited her.

He was inducted into the Navy in 1945 In 1945 he was stationed in Hawaii, playing clarinet in a military band. In 1946, he returned to civilian life before landing a spot in the Eddie Vinson ensemble in 1947. John worked a variety of jobs through the late forties until he joined "Dizzy Gillespie's" big band in 1949. He stayed with Dizzy until the band's breakup in May 1950 and worked with Dizzy's small group until April 1951, when he returned to Philadelphia to go to school. On March 1, 1951, he took his first solo on record during a performance of "We Love to Boogie" with Gillespie. In early 1952 he joined "Earl Bostic’s band", and in 1953 he joined "Johnny Hodges’s" small group staying until mid 1954. He performed infrequently for about a year, then leaped to fame in Miles Davis' quintet with Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones from 1955 - 1957.

During the latter part of 1957 Coltrane worked with Thelonious Monk at New York’s Five Spot, a legendary gig. He rejoined Miles in January 1958. In March and April 1959, John participated with the Davis group on the album Kind of Blue. Released on August 17, 1959. He stayed with the group until April 1960. After he left, John formed a quartet with pianist "McCoy Tyner", bassist "Jimmy Garrison" and drummer "Elvin Jones", a group that produced searching, spiritually driven work. The Avant-Garde, credited to John and trumpeter "Don Cherry", is a fascinating diversion, recorded in 1960 but not released for another six years. In June 1962, he released his studio album, Simply Coltrane. He also released other albums like, Impressions in 1963, Live in Birdland in 1964 and the most critically aclaimed album, A Love Supreme which earned him two Grammy nominations. By 1965 John was one of the most famous jazz artists alive, acclaimed alike in Europe, Japan, and the United States. His albums, Kulu Se Mama and Meditations was released in 1966. John released about fifty recordings as a leader in twelve years, and appeared on dozens more led by other musicians. John died from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital in Long Island, NY on July 17, 1967, at 40. His excessive alcohol and heroin abuse during the 40s and 50s likely laid the seed for this illness, which can strike former alcoholics years after they quit.

Awards & Certifications

Chart Toppers

News

Tours & Concerts

There are no current tour and concert schedules for John Coltrane.

Announcements

There are no announcements as of this time

Discography

Albums

John Coltrane and The Jazz Giants 1956 Fantasy	Dakar 1957 OJC	Interplay For 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors 1957 Original Jazz Classics	Lush Life 1957 Prestige
Coltrane 1957 Original Jazz Classics	Traneing In 1957 OJC	Once in A While 1957 Prestige Elite	Black Pearls 1958 Original Jazz Classics
The Believer December 20, 1957 Prestige	The Man Made Miles 1958 Prestige Elite	Settin' The Pace 1958 Prestige	The Avant-Garde June 28, 1960 Atlantic
My Favorite Things 1960 Atlantic	Coltrane Plays The Blues 1960 Atlantic	Coltrane Jazz 1960 Atlantic	Africa/Brass 1961 Impulse!
Ole Coltrane 1961 Atlantic	Impressions 1961 Impulse!	Transcendence 1961 Summit	Coltrane 1962 Impulse!
Ballads 1962 Impulse!	Dear Old Stockholm 1963 Impulse!	A Love Supreme 1964 Impulse!	The John Coltrane Quartet Plays 1965 Impulse!
Transition 1965 Impulse!	Kulu Se Mama June 16, 1965 Impulse!	Ascension June 28, 1965 Impulse!	Sun Ship August 26, 1965 Impulse!
Om 1965 Impulse!	Stellar Regions February 15, 1967 Impulse!	Expression 1967 Impulse!

Singles

Compilations & Live Releases

Other artists

Similar artists

Contemporaries

Influences

Trivia

• John was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980.

• Has a son, Ravi Coltrane, born 1965 who is also a jazz musician.

Reviews

External Links

• John Coltrane Official Website

• John Coltrane Billboard Profile