- Born
- 23 September 1926, Hamlet, North Carolina, United States
- First work
- 1957: Coltrane
- Peak
- 1957 to 1965 (estimated)
- Last work
- 1967: Expression
- Died
- 17 July 1967, Huntington, United States; aged 40; illness
John Coltrane
Music: saxophonist, composer, bandleader, United States
John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer whose technical mastery and spiritual depth revolutionised modern music. Born in Hamlet, North Carolina, in 1926, he gained prominence during the mid-1950s performing alongside Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. Developing a virtuosic approach termed sheets of sound, Coltrane pioneered modal jazz and advanced harmonic structures on landmark albums like Giant Steps and My Favorite Things. His classic quartet created masterworks of spiritual devotion, culminated by A Love Supreme in 1965. In his final years, he pushed further into the avant-garde. Coltrane died of liver cancer on Long Island, New York, in July 1967 at forty.
Who else was born on 23 September or who died on 17 July.
Compare with Dean Martin Compare with someone else
Signature works
- Blue Train album1958
- Giant Steps album1960
- My Favorite Things album1961
- Coltrane Plays the Blues album1962
- A Love Supreme album1965
- Ascension album1966
Honours
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 1992
- Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, 2007
Groups: John Coltrane Quartet, Miles Davis Quintet, Thelonious Monk Septet.