‘You know, I wanted to be a force for good, to speak out
against the forces of evil, forces that bring people
and society as a whole, into trouble. And I wanted to be
a proponent of global good.’

John Coltrane

John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He was one of the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and the 20^th century music.

A selection of musical compositions performed by John Coltrane is posted in the Museum Phonotheque.

John Coltrane, also known as Trane, was a musician without whom modern expressive improvisatory music would not be the same. Coltrane took tenor saxophone technique to an unprecedented level. He was fanatical about Eastern philosophy, Einstein's physics and tried to apply medieval alchemical formulas to music.

Coltrane was born 200 Hamlet Avenue in Hamlet, North Carolina, in September, 1926. His father was John R. Coltrane and his mother was Alice Blair. He grew up in High Point, North Carolina, and attended William Penn High School. While in high school, Coltrane played clarinet and alto horn in a community band before switching to the saxophone, after being influenced by the likes of Lester Young and Johnny Hodges. Beginning in December 1938, his father, aunt, and grandparents died within a few months of one another, leaving him to be raised by his mother and a close cousin. In June 1943, shortly after graduating from high school, Coltrane and his family moved to Philadelphia, where he got a job at a sugar refinery. In September that year, his 17^th birthday, his mother bought him his first saxophone, an alto. From 1944 to 1945, Coltrane took saxophone lessons at the Ornstein School of Music with Mike Guerra. Between early to mid-1945, he had his first professional work as a musician: a "cocktail lounge trio" with piano and guitar.

An important moment in the progression of Coltrane's musical development occurred on June 5, 1945, when he saw Charlie Parker perform for the first time. In a DownBeat magazine article in 1960 he recalled: "the first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes." His jazz studies had to be postponed due to his military service from 1945 to 1946. After completing his service, Coltrane returned to Philadelphia and briefly played in Joe Webb's orchestra. He played alto saxophone.

The 1949^th saw Coltrane join Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra. The saxophonist recorded his first solo composition ‘We Love to Boogie’ (1951). From 1955 to 1957, Coltrane performed in the Miles Davis Quintet. In the same year, 1957, he released his first solo album, titled ‘Coltrane’. In the early 1960s, Coltrane's first album ‘Giant Steps’ consisting entirely of his own compositions, was released. Coltrane showed the world a paradigm-shifting approach in the hard bop era. Moving from orchestra to orchestra, Coltrane made a long way from classic jazz to completely new sound. Finally, John came to modal jazz. Figuratively speaking, the path from Duke Ellington to Thelonious Monk. It was always his faith that helped him. Not any particular faith – John believed in the unity of all religions, he was looking for unconditional spirituality.

Coltrane's iconic record for jazz fans was ‘Love Supreme’, recorded in 1964 and released in 1965. The musician had a unique approach to jazz music – religious. He embodied his attitude to jazz in this album – for him it was not just a job or a hobby. Creativity and faith were his salvation in trying hour of his life.

‘Love Supreme’ was recorded in just one day, on December 9, 1964, despite the fact that it was the first time Coltrane had ever used overdubs (his voice repeating the words “Love Supreme” over his saxophone). In January 1965, the record was already on the shelves of shops across America. The album's tracks are only 33 minutes long, yet it is one of the most important and deeply meaningful works in the history of jazz. It is also John Coltrane's best-selling work: by 1970, in just five years, it had sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. The album became widely known far beyond the jazz community, and in the ‘hippie era’ of the late 60‘s and early 70’s, became a kind of model for many other works in jazz and then in rock music.

The 1960s brought Coltrane incredible success. His virtuoso performance and innovative ideas put him on a par with his outstanding contemporaries. At the same time, the John Coltrane's Quartet, whose jazz ballads became a model for imitation, was extremely popular. Coltrane played the soprano saxophone in addition to the tenor saxophone throughout his last period.

John Coltrane died before the age of 41. Having gained widespread fame only by the age of 33, he had managed to do an incredible amount in a few years. In 1971, a California city became home to a church that chose John Coltrane as its patron saint. St John Coltrane's Church, which in 1982, became part of the African Orthodox Church, and thus recognized his sanctification. Coltrane also received a special Pulitzer Prize in 2007.
The musician was married twice.Three children were born in the second marriage. His son Ravi became a saxophonist and music producer.