John Coltrane: An Introduction

John Coltrane: An Introduction

Few horn players attracted as much adulation and criticism during their careers as Coltrane (1926-1967). Despite periodically reinventing his sound and approach to the music, his keen spirituality and bright tone gave him one of jazz's most singular sounds. Before his death at 40, “Trane” had a profound effect on the standard conventions of harmony and improvisation, penning trailblazing tunes with shifting tonal centers and blitzing listeners with his fleet-fingered, ecstatic "sheets of sound." After being discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1946, the native North Carolinian immersed himself in the flourishing Philadelphia music scene and made his beginnings under the direction of saxophonist and bandleader Jimmy Heath. He was eventually hired by Miles Davis and formed part of the trumpeter's distinguished "First Great Quintet," contributing to revered records including Cookin’, Round About Midnight, and Milestones. Coltrane eventually pursued his own path as a bandleader, and the pivotal sessions he would go on to helm produced jazz classics such as “Moment’s Notice” (Blue Train, 1957), “Countdown” (Giant Steps, 1960), and “My Favorite Things” (My Favorite Things, 1961), which are all included in this playlist. In his final years, Coltrane shedded obsessively and released a series of avant-garde recordings that were informed by his own far-reaching spirituality. Coltrane's restless musical questing continued until his tragic early death, but we're lucky the saxophonist left behind such a rich catalog of beautiful, searing music.

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