John Coltrane: A Guide to His Life and Music

John Coltrane was a composer, saxophonist, clarinet player, sideman, and bandleader regarded as one of the most significant jazz musicians of all time. From his early days playing in Philadelphia to his time in the Miles Davis Quintet to his groundbreaking performances as a bandleader, Coltrane transformed conceptions of saxophone music, jazz harmony, and American music at large.

"Trane," as he was known to peers, was equally famous for his performance of American songbook standards (the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic "My Favorite Things" was a signature song for Coltrane), his "sheets of sound" soloing prowess, and the boundary-pushing, nearly atonal improvisations of his final years on Impulse! Records. He was also famous for mentoring jazz greats of the late 20th century, including pianist McCoy Tyner, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, and his own wife—the pianist, composer, and harpist Alice Coltrane.

John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina and attended William Penn High School in the town of High Point. As a teenager, he moved to Philadelphia where he played in his first professional music combos, performing on alto saxophone and clarinet. In 1945, he enlisted in the US Navy and served for one year, after which he returned to Philadelphia.

• Bebop dominated American jazz during Coltrane’s formative years. Known for rapid-fire tempos and chord changes in every measure, it was a genre for virtuosos—perhaps none more so than alto sax legend Charlie Parker. Coltrane idolized Parker and based much of his early playing technique on Parker’s performances. This led to gigs with Parker collaborators including Dizzy Gillespie and Eddie Vinson, who encouraged Coletrain to embrace tenor saxophone as his primary instrument.
• Coltrane performed with NYC giants. By 1955, Coltrane's reputation was well established and he received invitations to play with numerous jazz greats based in New York City. This included the Thelonious Monk Quartet—led by the inscrutable pianist and composer Thelonious Monk—and trumpet legend Miles Davis.
• Coltrane and Davis pioneered a new style. Coltrane appeared on now-classic jazz albums by Miles Davis, such as Kind of Blue and Milestones. The saxophonist was instrumental in developing a spare, modal style of music that critics called "cool jazz."
• John Coltrane was a bandleader. Coltrane recorded bebop and hard bop classics like Giant Steps, Blue Train, and Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, a collaboration with the big band virtuoso Ellington. He recorded for Blue Note, Prestige, and Atlantic Records before beginning a relationship with Impulse! Records that would last for the rest of his life.
• Coltrane’s style was ever-evolving. Coltrane later embraced long-form compositions, dense improvisations, greater modality, and eventually atonality. This first emerged on 1965's A Love Supreme, a 33-minute jazz meditation. The following year he released Ascension, which toed the line of free jazz. His final completed recording was Interstellar Space, an extended duet suite with drummer Rashied Ali.

John Coltrane died from liver cancer in 1967 at the age of 40. A religious man his entire life, he considered his final works to be musical manifestations of his Christian faith. During his lifetime, Coltrane was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. He was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 and the Pulitzer Prize in 2007.

John Coltrane's music can be characterized by several key elements.

1. 1. Pure virtuosity: Much like his idol Charlie Parker, Coltrane became known to peers as a person who had utterly mastered the instruments he played. Although he was most famous as a tenor and soprano sax player, Coltrane could also play alto sax, baritone sax, and clarinet with amazing proficiency. To this day, the most advanced woodwind players study his playing.
2. 2. Sheets of sound: Coltrane's signature soloing style was known as "sheets of sound." This described the rapid-fire legato scales and arpeggios he coaxed out of his instruments. In addition to phenomenal speed, Coltrane cycled through chord changes with ease. His solos on the song "Giant Steps" are a clinic in fluid improvisation over challenging harmony and tempo.
3. 3. Modal playing: Alongside his mentor, Miles Davis, Coltrane brought modal playing to jazz music, which had previously been dominated by more classic harmonies with shifting tonal centers. Coltrane used the amorphous qualities of modal music to create almost mystical-sounding music, often inspired by his Christian faith.
4. 4. Endless experimentation: Coltrane likely could have made a comfortable career in the bebop and hard bop that characterized his early work. However, he chose to constantly experiment. By the end of his life, he was far along the path toward atonality and free improvisation.

In his 40 years, John Coltrane played a role in many of the most important jazz records in the history of the genre, both as a bandleader and as a sideman. His highlights include:

1. 1. Blue Train (1958): Coltrane's first notable record as a bandleader. It features trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones.
2. 2. Giant Steps (1960): Coltrane's first Atlantic Records album as a bandleader is often considered the foremost hard bop album of all time. It produced many modern jazz standards, including the title track, "Mr. P.C.," and "Naima," named for Coltrane's first wife.
3. 3. My Favorite Things (1961): An album of jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, this record's title track became almost synonymous with Coltrane.
4. 4. Africa/Brass (1961): Coltrane's debut for Impulse! Records showcases his newfound interest in modal jazz. The record features many players who would become legends in their own right, including saxophonist Eric Dolphy, pianist McCoy Tyner, and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.
5. 5. John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963): Coltrane was not known for his performances with vocalists. This record, co-led by singer Johnny Hartman, may be his most famous in that idiom.
6. 6. A Love Supreme (1964): Considered Coltrane's masterpiece, this instrumental meditation on Christian themes helps bridge the gap between hard bop, cool jazz, and free jazz improvisation.
7. 7. Ascension (1966): Although Coltrane never fully dove into the free jazz movement promoted by Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry, he came close on Ascension, which pushed the boundaries of atonality.
8. 8. Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album (2018): Originally recorded in 1963, this album features Coltrane's classic quartet of McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones.
9. 9. "Tenor Madness" (1956): This song is the only known recording of Coltrane playing with Sonny Rollins. They, along with their forebear Charlie Parker, make up the most famous trio of saxophone players in jazz history. The song appears on a Rollins album of the same title.

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