Coltrane, John (1926-1967), was a jazz saxophonist and composer who became one of the most widely imitated jazz musicians of the 1960’s. Coltrane expanded the expressive qualities of the tenor saxophone and popularized the soprano saxophone among jazz musicians.
Coltrane’s best-known compositions include “Blue Train” (1957), “Giant Steps” (1959), “Equinox” (1960), “A Love Supreme” (1964), and “Ascension” (1965). With the recording of his Ascension album, Coltrane inspired many younger jazz musicians to work in the experimental style known as free jazz. In addition, Coltrane was one of the first jazz artists to reflect the influence of the music of India.
John William Coltrane was born on Sept. 23, 1926, in Hamlet, North Carolina. He achieved national prominence when he played in the bands of Dizzy Gillespie in 1949 and Johnny Hodges in 1953 and 1954. He first attained recognition as an important soloist with the Miles Davis quintet between 1955 and 1960. Coltrane formed his own quartet in 1960 and scored a popular success with a recording of the song “My Favorite Things” that same year. In 1962, Coltrane assembled what came to be known as his “classic” quartet. It included McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums.
During the last years of his life, Coltrane became a role model among many fans because of his support of experimental jazz, his idealistic search for perfection in his music, and his passionate religious beliefs. After his death, devoted followers established a new church in Coltrane’s honor in San Francisco, proclaiming him to be a saint. Coltrane died on July 17, 1967, from a liver disease at the age of 40. In 2007, he was honored with a Pulitzer Prize special citation ”for his masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz.” In 2019, Blue World, an album of music Coltrane recorded in 1964 for a motion-picture soundtrack, was released.
Coltrane’s wife, Alice, was a noted jazz pianist and composer who performed with her husband. Their son Ravi became a leading jazz saxophonist.
See also Tyner, McCoy .
