Monday, September 23, 8926

John Coltrane (1926-1967)


John Coltrane (1926-1967)

My Favorite Things (1960)

Alabama (1963)









John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926, Hamlet, North Carolina - July 17, 1967, Huntington Hospital, Long Island, NY) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.

Though he was active before 1955, his prime years were between 1955 and 1967, during which time he reshaped modern jazz and influenced generations of other musicians. Coltrane's recording rate was astonishingly prolific: he released about 50 recordings as a leader in these 12 years, and appeared on dozens more led by other musicians. Throughout his career Coltrane's music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension that would color his legacy. He passed away from liver cancer in Huntington Hospital, Long Island, New York.

Along withColeman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Sonny Rollins -- Coltrane fundamentally altered expectations for the tenor sax. Coltrane received a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship, and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."

[8926 C. Berry / 8926 Coltrane / 8926 Davis]