An Ear for Jazz--John Coltrane

photo courtesy of antville.org

Once again, it's Old School Saturday. Jazz is today's focus.

How many of you out there have an ear for jazz? I didn’t until about 12 years ago. In 1997, the movie Love Jones hit theaters, one of my all time favorite movies. That was my first time every hearing "In A Sentimental Mood" and I fell in love. Various scenes featured jazz songs, and some of the dialogue in the movie was about jazz artists. For some reason, I was inspired to learn more, so from then on I’ve been listening and reading about jazz and various artists. Through my research, I’ve become a fan of John “Trane” Coltrane, one of the greatest, most influential jazz artist to date.

In September 1926, John was born in North Carolina surrounded by music. His father was a musician who played several instruments, influencing his son to play as well. Early on, Coltrane studied the clarinet and the E-flat horn. He continued studying music and playing instruments, eventually switching his focus to the alto saxophone after becoming familiar with the likes of Johnny Hodges and Lester Young. Moving to Philadelphia in 1943, John continued studying music at the Ornstein School of Music and Granoff Studios. In 1945, during WWII, Coltrane was called to military service in Hawaii, where he performed with the Navy jazz band; returning to civilian life a year later, he began playing the tenor saxophone with the Eddie “CleanHead” Vinson Band. He also joined the Dizzie Gillespie band and performed with Jimmy Heath. Some would say that this was the height of his experimentation. Miles Davis was another indescribable great that Coltrane performed with, which would lead to his own musical revolution. John was quoted as saying “Miles’ music gave me plenty of freedom.” During this time, he was known for “the sheets of sound,” a method of playing multiple notes at once, otherwise known as the three-on-one chord approach.

In 1960, no longer a sideman, Coltrane created The John Coltrane Quartet. The group consisted of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones, later adding Pharoah Sanders and Eric Dolphy. The creation of the most innovative and expressive music in jazz history would follow, including some of his most notable albums, “Giant Steps,” “My Favorite Things,” “Impressions,” and his outstanding work “A Love Supreme.” After recording many more albums, including live performances, Coltrane passed away in 1967 from liver disease. His death was a great loss to the world of music and its continuing evolution, although his music still lives on. Many feature films and tv shows have used the distinguished sounds that he produced.

There is so much more to learn about John “Trane” Coltrane, the legacy he left behind, the myriad of albums and recordings, awards and honors, information about the foundation and scholarship in his name…. Please take some time to read about the legend that we were once blessed with.

check out the links and enjoy the playlist I've put together for your listening pleasure.

www.johncoltrane.com
John Coltrane's wiki page

John Coltrane