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John Coltrane

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

John Coltrane

Gelderen, Hugo van / Anefo · CC0

Born	1926, Philadelphia → New York
Died	1967
Genre	Modal jazz, Hard bop, Spiritual jazz, Free jazz
Studio albums	58 (1957–2019)
Notable works	Live at Birdland, Coltrane, Mating Call, Blue Train, Soultrane
Influenced by	Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Lester Young
In School of Rock	Mixtape 2^NL, Mixtape 5^NL, Magazine^NL

John Coltrane grew up in North Carolina and Philadelphia. He named Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon as important models. From 1955 he played in Miles Davis's quintet, in 1957 for a few months with Thelonious Monk, and then again with Miles on Kind of Blue. On Giant Steps (1959) he played over rapidly changing chords with a stream of notes that came to be called sheets of sound. In 1960 he started a quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones; at the end of 1961 bassist Jimmy Garrison joined. He played My Favorite Things on the soprano saxophone and made a spiritual statement with A Love Supreme (1964). In his last years he played free jazz. He died in 1967.

Listening

Listening tip. On Giant Steps, try to hear the changes of key: fast and constantly different.

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Hard bop GenreMuch of it appeared on the New York label Blue Note, such as John Coltrane's Blue Train (1957).
Modal jazz GenreIn the 1960s John Coltrane, the pianist McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock built on the modal approach.
Spiritual jazz GenreIn December 1964, John Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme with his quartet, a suite in four parts that he dedicated to God.