Mira Lee

Arguijo-Flaiz
Music Appreciation
March 6, 2015
A4 Jazz Genre Report
Jazz was founded in the United States in the early 20th century. It is celebrated as
one of North Americas oldest and cherished musical genres. It was originally used as
tool of romance. Overall, it has been a huge part of African American culture for over 100
years. There were many artists that were involved during the jazz era, including Sonny
Rollins and Miles Davis. John William Coltrane was a well-known American jazz
musician, bandleader, and composer; he was considered a genius in the jazz world.
Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. As a child,
he grew up around music; his father played a couple instruments including the E-flat
horn, the clarinet, and the alto saxophone. Count Basie and Lester Young were Coltranes
jazz inspirations and at the age of 13, he picked up the saxophone. There was a
depressing period in his life where Coltranes father, grandparents, and uncle died, having
the mother run the household; this caused part of his family to move to New Jersey while
Coltrane stayed in North Carolina to finish high school. During the time of WWII, he was
drafted into the military, where he was obligated to perform in the U.S. Navy Band in
Hawaii; this is where he made his first recording.
After the war, Coltrane signed up with many groups; one was a group led by
Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, where Coltrane played the tenor saxophone. In 1949 he
grouped with a band led by Dizzy Gillespie for the next year and a half. After a while,

Coltrane started establishing a name for him but, in the 1950s he started doing drugs,
often ending jobs he got early. After loosing a position in Ellingtons band, Miles Davis
offered him a position in his group, the Miles Davis Quintet. The band was successful
enough to produce many albums including The New Miles Davis Quintet in 1955,
Round About Midnight in 1957, and Kind of Blue in 1959. Coltranes heroin
addiction got in the way again because Davis fired him. Finally realizing what heroin was
doing, he kicked the habit and started his solo career. In 1960, he formed his own band,
including pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones. Their
group was called the John Coltrane Quartet; they made sensational albums that many jazz
musicians listen to like Giant Steps in 1960, My Favorite Things in 1961, Duke
Ellington and John Coltrane in 1963, Impressions also in 1963, and Live at Birdland
in 1964. A Love Supreme was produced in 1965 that was known as Coltranes most
praised record, awarding him with two Grammy awards for performance and jazz
composition.
In the final years of his life, Coltrane wrote a lot of different material. His final
two albums were Kulu Se Mama and Meditations, both recoded in 1966. In 1967, he
died of liver disease on July 17, 1967 in Huntington, Long Island, New York. Even
though he has passed on, his work was still used throughout movies, television shows,
and radio. Some examples were NYPD Blue, The Cosby Show, ER, and many
more. Even after his death, his works were still getting recognition. In 1972, A Love
Supreme was certified gold by the RIAA for 500,000 units in Japan and the My Favorite
Things album was certified gold in the US in 2001. Also, RIAA awarded Coltrane a
Grammy Award of Best Jazz Solo Performance for his work on the album Bye Bye

Blackbird in 1982. His highest award was in 1997 when he received the Lifetime
Achievement Award.
John Coltrane was a brilliant jazz musician who touched the heart and souls of
many musicians around the world. His work in revolutionizing jazz music by his
experimental techniques changed the face of jazz music forever. While he had problems
in his life, he was an inspiration that you can push through them and succeed. While he
has been gone a while, his music will never be forgotten among music lovers everywhere.

Works Cited
1. "John Coltrane." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
http://www.biography.com/people/john-coltrane-9254106#final-years-and-impact
2. John Coltrane Biography. JohnColtrane.com. John Coltrane.com. Web. 03 March
2015. http://www.johncoltrane.com/biography.html