| |
John William Coltrane
(September 23, 1926 in Hamlet,
North Carolina — July 17, 1967 at
Huntington Hospital in Long Island, NY)
was an American jazz saxophonist and
composer.
Though he was active before 1955, his
prime years were between 1955 and 1967,
during which time he reshaped modern
jazz and influenced generations of other
musicians.
Along with tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Sonny Rollins, Coltrane fundamentally altered expectations for the instrument. Coltrane received a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."
Coltrane's recording rate was astonishingly prolific: he recorded about fifty recordings as a leader in these twelve years, and appeared on many more led by other musicians.
Throughout his career Coltrane's music
took on an
increasingly spiritual dimension
that would color his legacy.
|
