JOHN COLTRANE

Early Life
Born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina
Moved to Philadelphia in 1943 with his family where he started playing saxophone
Enlisted in the Navy in 1945, played in an officers band for a year

Career

Started playing with many jazz greats such Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Jimmy Heath,
Thelonious Monk, etc.
In 1955, he joined the Miles Davis First Great Quintet; gets kicked out for heroin addiction in
1957; returns in 1958 to record Kind of Blue
Starts making own records with own quartet and experiments with new ways of playing (sheets
of sound) and writing (the Coltrane Matrix)
Records Giant Steps in 1959 and A Love Supreme in 1964; both are viewed as two of the
greatest albums in jazz history
Gradually starts making more experimental albums; very divisive to audience and critics
Dies of liver cancer on June 17, 1967

Legacy

One of the greatest musicians who ever picked up an instrument

Influenced modern music to this day through his son Ravi and his grand-nephew Flying Lotus
Brought his spirituality to jazz; canonized as Saint John Coltrane in the African Orthodox Church
in San Francisco
JOHN COLTRANE

Early Life

Born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina

Moved to Philadelphia in 1943 with his family where he started playing saxophone
Enlisted in the Navy in 1945, played in an officers band for a year

Career

Started playing with many jazz greats such Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Jimmy Heath,
Thelonious Monk, etc.
In 1955, he joined the Miles Davis First Great Quintet; gets kicked out for heroin addiction in
1957; returns in 1958 to record Kind of Blue
Starts making own records with own quartet and experiments with new ways of playing (sheets
of sound) and writing (the Coltrane Matrix)
Records Giant Steps in 1959 and A Love Supreme in 1964; both are viewed as two of the
greatest albums in jazz history
Gradually starts making more experimental albums; very divisive to audience and critics
Dies of liver cancer on June 17, 1967

Legacy

One of the greatest musicians who ever picked up an instrument

"I want to be a force for real good. In other words, I know that there are bad forces, forces that
bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the opposite force. I want to
be the force which is truly for good." He told the magazine, which will print the interview in the
forthcoming issue, that he believed his music transmitted "good. (1)
Influenced modern music to this day through his son Ravi and his grand-nephew Flying Lotus
Brought his spirituality to jazz; canonized as Saint John Coltrane in the African Orthodox Church
in San Francisco
John [Coltrane] was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but
during his time here, he kept trying to reach new levels of awareness, of peace, of
spirituality. That's why I regard the music he played as spiritual music -- John's way of getting
closer and closer to the Creator. (2)
 Bibliography
(1) John Coltrane, Jazz Star, Dies; Inventive Saxophone Player, 40. The New York Times, 18 July
1967

(2) Albert Ayler (quoted in Valerie Wilmer, As Serious As Your Life, p31)