John Coltrane | |
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Coltrane in 1963
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Background information | |
Birth name | John William Coltrane |
Also known as | "Trane" |
Born |
Hamlet, North Carolina, U.S. |
September 23, 1926
Died | July 17, 1967 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
(aged 40)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | Tenor, soprano, and alto saxophone |
Years active | 1945–1967 |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Website | johncoltrane |
Saint John William Coltrane | |
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Born |
Hamlet, North Carolina, US |
September 23, 1926
Died | July 17, 1967 Huntington, New York, US |
(aged 40)
Venerated in | African Orthodox Church |
Patronage |
All Artists Information about Coltrane's canonization |
John William Coltrane, also known as "Trane" (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967), was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.
As his career progressed, Coltrane and his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. Coltrane influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant saxophonists in music history. He received many posthumous awards and recognitions, including canonization by the African Orthodox Church as Saint John William Coltrane and a special Pulitzer Prize in 2007. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.
All Artists
Coltrane was born in his parents' apartment at 200 Hamlet Avenue, Hamlet, North Carolina on September 23, 1926. His father was John R. Coltrane and his mother was Alice Blair. He grew up in High Point, North Carolina, attending William Penn High School (now Penn-Griffin School for the Arts). Beginning in December 1938 Coltrane's aunt, grandparents, and father all died within a few months of one another, leaving John to be raised by his mother and a close cousin. In June 1943 he moved to Philadelphia. In September of that year his mother bought him his first saxophone, an alto. Coltrane played the clarinet and the alto horn in a community band before taking up the alto saxophone during high school. He had his first professional gigs in early to mid-1945 – a "cocktail lounge trio", with piano and guitar.