JAZZ FOR DUMMIES

Pag.148
PART II – JAZZ GREATS and GREAT JAZZ: AN EVOLUTIONARY RIFF

John Coltrane’s spiritual quest

John Coltrane (1926-1967) was a tenor saxophonist from North Carolina. Coltrane
started his career as a performer in rhythm-and-blues and jazz bands only to become
later a symbol of jazz music. His music revolutionized jazz as it was known before.

He first started experimenting while recording Miles Davis’ album Kind of Blue.
Coltrane’s solos are a distinctive feature of that album for their improvisations and
the exotic saxophone tones. The key elements of Coltrane’s style are the free, soaring
solos, the wild sounds, the modal approach and the connections with blues.

Coltrane’s career and personal life were intertwined by his spiritual beliefs linked to
eastern religions. The album A Love Supreme is full of Coltrane’s improvisations and
is characterized by a meditative aura. Through the years, his music became
increasingly sentimental and he also often used a tenor sax to capture intense
feelings.

Coltrane ranks as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20 th century.
Several artists learned from him and the dark moods and boundless improvisation
which were typical of Coltrane can still be perceived in their music.