- John Coltrane originally played the alto saxophone and the clarinet during his early school years. Consequently, he only switched to his famous tenor saxophone later in his musical career.
- Surprisingly, he joined the United States Navy during the final year of World War II. Therefore, John Coltrane made his very first professional recordings with a military jazz band.
- Furthermore, he practiced his saxophone so much that his fingers sometimes bled. Thus, his friends often found him sleeping with his instrument still resting on his chest.
- Moreover, John Coltrane suffered from a severe sweet tooth throughout his entire life. Consequently, eating too many sweet potato pies completely ruined his dental health during his twenties.
- Additionally, legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis famously fired him from his quintet in 1957. Fortunately, this harsh wake-up call pushed John Coltrane to finally conquer his personal addictions.
- Interestingly, he played with the great pianist Thelonious Monk shortly after leaving Miles Davis. Ultimately, this intense collaboration taught him completely new ways to approach complex musical chords.
- Consequently, he created a unique harmonic progression that musicians simply call Coltrane changes. Indeed, the famous song Giant Steps uses this terrifyingly fast and complex musical math.
- Notably, John Coltrane experienced a profound spiritual awakening in the late 1950s. As a result, he composed the legendary album A Love Supreme as a direct prayer to God.
- Naturally, the iconic recording A Love Supreme sold over half a million copies globally. Thus, it remains one of the most successful and beloved jazz albums in history.
- Surprisingly, a church in San Francisco actually worships him as a literal saint today. Furthermore, the Saint John Coltrane African Orthodox Church uses his music in their weekly liturgy.
- Indeed, he studied global music traditions from India and Africa very deeply. Consequently, he incorporated strange new scales and unusual rhythms into his wild jazz solos.
- Also, critics often described his fast and furious playing style as sheets of sound. Therefore, listeners felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of notes he played per second.
- Interestingly, John Coltrane rarely spoke to the audience during his energetic live concerts. Instead, he preferred to let his incredibly emotional saxophone music do all the talking.
- Meanwhile, he occasionally played the soprano saxophone to expand his vast musical range. Notably, his massive hit song My Favorite Things features this smaller and much higher instrument.
- Finally, the talented artist sadly passed away from liver cancer at age forty. Nevertheless, his beautiful music completely changed the entire landscape of modern jazz forever.
Sources & References:
NPR Music: https://www.npr.org/artists/15025064/john-coltrane
U.S. Navy Memorial: https://www.navymemorial.org/
JazzTimes Magazine: https://jazztimes.com/
The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/
Smithsonian Institutionht: tps://www.si.edu/
