John William Coltrane (Hamlet, North Carolina, September 23, 1926 – Huntin… Read Full Bio ↴John William Coltrane (Hamlet, North Carolina, September 23, 1926 – Huntington, New York, July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.
American jazz great John Coltrane emerged in the 1950s, playing tenor and soprano sax with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. A leader of "hard bop", in the 1960s he led his own groups and changed the face of jazz with experimentation and improvisation, his later recordings reflecting his belief that music was a form of spiritual expression. Sometimes called simply 'Trane, his recordings include Giant Steps (1959), My Favorite Things (1960), Olé (1961) and A Love Supreme (1964). In his later recordings he collaborated on avante-garde music with his wife, Alice Coltrane (b. Alice McLeod, 1937-2007), who had a career in her own right.
The band sometimes called Coltrane's "classic quartet" of the early 1960s included McCoy Tyner (piano), Elvin Jones (drums) and Jimmy Garrison (bass).
Despite a relatively brief career (he first came to notice as a sideman at age 29 in 1955, formally launched a solo career at 33 in 1960, and was dead at 40 in 1967), saxophonist John Coltrane was among the most important, and most controversial, figures in jazz. It seems amazing that his period of greatest activity was so short, not only because he recorded prolifically, but also because, taking advantage of his fame, the record companies that recorded him as a sideman in the 1950s frequently reissued those recordings under his name and there has been a wealth of posthumously released material as well. Since Coltrane was a protean player who changed his style radically over the course of his career, this has made for much confusion in his discography and in appreciations of his playing. There remains a critical divide between the adherents of his earlier, more conventional (if still highly imaginative) work and his later, more experimental work. No one, however, questions Coltrane's almost religious commitment to jazz or doubts his significance in the history of the music.
Coltrane was the son of John R. Coltrane, a tailor and amateur musician, and Alice (Blair) Coltrane. Two months after his birth, his maternal grandfather, the Reverend William Blair, was promoted to presiding elder in the A.M.E. Zion Church and moved his family, including his infant grandson, to High Point, NC, where Coltrane grew up. Shortly after he graduated from grammar school in 1939, his father, his grandparents, and his uncle died, leaving him to be raised in a family consisting of his mother, his aunt, and his cousin. His mother worked as a domestic to support the family. The same year, he joined a community band in which he played clarinet and E flat alto horn; he took up the alto saxophone in his high school band. During World War II, his mother, aunt, and cousin moved north to New Jersey to seek work, leaving him with family friends; in 1943, when he graduated from high school, he too headed north, settling in Philadelphia. Eventually, the family was reunited there.
While taking jobs outside music, Coltrane briefly attended the Ornstein School of Music and studied at Granoff Studios. He also began playing in local clubs. In 1945, he was drafted into the navy and stationed in Hawaii. He never saw combat, but he continued to play music and, in fact, made his first recording with a quartet of other sailors on July 13, 1946. A performance of Tadd Dameron's "Hot House," it was released in 1993 on the Rhino Records anthology The Last Giant. Coltrane was discharged in the summer of 1946 and returned to Philadelphia. That fall, he began playing in the Joe Webb Band. In early 1947, he switched to the King Kolax Band. During the year, he switched from alto to tenor saxophone. One account claims that this was as the result of encountering alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and feeling the better-known musician had exhausted the possibilities on the instrument; another says that the switch occurred simply because Coltrane next joined a band led by Earl Bostic, who was an alto player, forcing Coltrane to play tenor. He moved on to Jimmy Heath's band in mid-1948, staying with the band, which evolved into the Howard McGhee All Stars until early 1949, when he returned to Philadelphia. That fall, he joined a big band led by Dizzy Gillespie, remaining until the spring of 1951, by which time the band had been trimmed to a septet. On March 1, 1951, he took his first solo on record during a performance of "We Love to Boogie" with Gillespie.
At some point during this period, Coltrane became a heroin addict, which made him more difficult to employ. He played with various bands, mostly around Philadelphia, during the early '50s, his next important job coming in the spring of 1954, when Johnny Hodges, temporarily out of the Duke Ellington band, hired him. But he was fired because of his addiction in September 1954. He returned to Philadelphia, where he was playing, when he was hired by Miles Davis a year later. His association with Davis was the big break that finally established him as an important jazz musician. Davis, a former drug addict himself, had kicked his habit and gained recognition at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1955, resulting in a contract with Columbia Records and the opportunity to organize a permanent band, which, in addition to him and Coltrane, consisted of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer "Philly" Joe Jones. This unit immediately began to record extensively, not only because of the Columbia contract, but also because Davis had signed with the major label before fulfilling a deal with jazz independent Prestige Records that still had five albums to run. The trumpeter's Columbia debut, 'Round About Midnight, which he immediately commenced recording, did not appear until March 1957. The first fruits of his association with Coltrane came in April 1956 with the release of The New Miles Davis Quintet (aka Miles), recorded for Prestige on November 16, 1955. During 1956, in addition to his recordings for Columbia, Davis held two marathon sessions for Prestige to fulfill his obligation to the label, which released the material over a period of time under the titles Cookin' (1957), Relaxin' (1957), Workin' (1958), and Steamin' (1961).
Coltrane's association with Davis inaugurated a period when he began to frequently record as a sideman. Davis may have been trying to end his association with Prestige, but Coltrane began appearing on many of the label's sessions. After he became better known in the 1960s, Prestige and other labels began to repackage this work under his name, as if he had been the leader, a process that has continued to the present day. (Prestige was acquired by Fantasy Records in 1972, and many of the recordings in which Coltrane participated have been reissued on Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics [OJC] imprint.)
Coltrane tried and failed to kick heroin in the summer of 1956, and in October, Davis fired him, though the trumpeter had relented and taken him back by the end of November. Early in 1957, Coltrane formally signed with Prestige as a solo artist, though he remained in the Davis band and also continued to record as a sideman for other labels. In April, Davis fired him again. This may have given him the impetus finally to kick his drug habit, and freed of the necessity of playing gigs with Davis, he began to record even more frequently. On May 31, 1957, he finally made his recording debut as a leader, putting together a pickup band consisting of trumpeter Johnny Splawn, baritone saxophonist Sahib Shihab, pianists Mal Waldron and Red Garland (on different tracks), bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Al "Tootie" Heath. They cut an album Prestige titled simply Coltrane upon release in September 1957. (It has since been reissued under the title First Trane.)
In June 1957, Coltrane joined the Thelonious Monk Quartet, consisting of Monk on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Shadow Wilson on drums. During this period, he developed a technique of playing several notes at once, and his solos began to go on longer. In August, he recorded material belatedly released on the Prestige albums Lush Life (1960) and The Last Trane (1965), as well as the material for John Coltrane With the Red Garland Trio, released later in the year. (It was later reissued under the title Traneing In.) But Coltrane's second album to be recorded and released contemporaneously under his name alone was cut in September for Blue Note Records. This was Blue Train, featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Kenny Drew, and the Miles Davis rhythm section of Chambers and "Philly" Joe Jones; it was released in December 1957. That month, Coltrane rejoined Davis, playing in what was now a sextet that also featured Cannonball Adderley. In January 1958, he led a recording session for Prestige that produced tracks later released on Lush Life, The Last Trane, and The Believer (1964). In February and March, he recorded Davis' album Milestones..., released later in 1958. In between the sessions, he cut his third album to be released under his name alone, Soultrane, issued in September by Prestige. Also in March 1958, he cut tracks as a leader that would be released later on the Prestige collection Settin' the Pace (1961). In May, he again recorded for Prestige as a leader, though the results would not be heard until the release of Black Pearls in 1964.
Coltrane appeared as part of the Miles Davis group at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1958. The band's set was recorded and released in 1964 on an LP also featuring a performance by Thelonious Monk as Miles & Monk at Newport. In 1988, Columbia reissued the material on an album called Miles & Coltrane. The performance inspired a review in Down Beat, the leading jazz magazine, that was an early indication of the differing opinions on Coltrane that would be expressed throughout the rest of his career and long after his death. The review referred to his "angry tenor," which, it said, hampered the solidarity of the Davis band. The review led directly to an article published in the magazine on October 16, 1958, in which critic Ira Gitler defended the saxophonist and coined the much-repeated phrase "sheets of sound" to describe his playing.
Coltrane's next Prestige session as a leader occurred later in July 1958 and resulted in tracks later released on the albums Standard Coltrane (1962), Stardust (1963), and Bahia (1965). All of these tracks were later compiled on a reissue called The Stardust Session. He did a final session for Prestige in December 1958, recording tracks later released on The Believer, Stardust, and Bahia. This completed his commitment to the label, and he signed to Atlantic Records, doing his first recording for his new employers on January 15, 1959, with a session on which he was co-billed with vibes player Milt Jackson, though it did not appear until 1961 with the LP Bags and Trane.
In March and April 1959, Coltrane participated with the Davis group on the album Kind of Blue. Released on August 17, 1959, this landmark album known for its "modal" playing (improvisations based on scales or "modes," rather than chords) became one of the best-selling and most-acclaimed recordings in the history of jazz. In between the sessions for the album, Coltrane began recording what would be his Atlantic Records debut, Giant Steps, released in early 1960. The album, consisting entirely of Coltrane compositions, in a sense marked his real debut as a leading jazz performer, even though the 33-year-old musician had released three previous solo albums and made numerous other recordings. His next Atlantic album, Coltrane Jazz, was mostly recorded in November and December 1959 and released in February 1961. In April 1960, he finally left the Davis band and formally launched his solo career, beginning an engagement at the Jazz Gallery in New York, accompanied by pianist Steve Kuhn (soon replaced by McCoy Tyner), bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Pete La Roca (later replaced by Billy Higgins and then Elvin Jones). During this period, he increasingly played soprano saxophone as well as tenor.
In October 1960, Coltrane recorded a series of sessions for Atlantic that would produce material for several albums, including a final track used on Coltrane Jazz and tunes used on My Favorite Things (March 1961), Coltrane Plays the Blues (July 1962), and Coltrane's Sound (June 1964). His soprano version of "My Favorite Things," from the Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II musical The Sound of Music, would become a signature song for him. During the winter of 1960-1961, bassist Reggie Workman replaced Steve Davis in his band and saxophone and flute player Eric Dolphy, gradually became a member of the group.
In the wake of the commercial success of "My Favorite Things," Coltrane's star rose, and he was signed away from Atlantic as the flagship artist of the newly formed Impulse! Records label, an imprint of ABC-Paramount, though in May he cut a final album for Atlantic, Olé (February 1962). The following month, he completed his Impulse! debut, Africa/Brass. By this time, his playing was frequently in a style alternately dubbed "avant-garde," "free," or "The New Thing." Like Ornette Coleman, he played seemingly formless, extended solos that some listeners found tremendously impressive, and others decried as noise. In November 1961, John Tynan, writing in Down Beat, referred to Coltrane's playing as "anti-jazz." That month, however, Coltrane recorded one of his most celebrated albums, Live at the Village Vanguard, an LP paced by the 16-minute improvisation "Chasin' the Trane."
Between April and June 1962, Coltrane cut his next Impulse! studio album, another release called simply Coltrane when it appeared later in the year. Working with producer Bob Thiele, he began to do extensive studio sessions, far more than Impulse! could profitably release at the time, especially with Prestige and Atlantic still putting out their own archival albums. But the material would serve the label well after the saxophonist's untimely death. Thiele acknowledged that Coltrane's next three Impulse! albums to be released, Ballads, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, and John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman (all 1963), were recorded at his behest to quiet the critics of Coltrane's more extreme playing. Impressions (1963), drawn from live and studio recordings made in 1962 and 1963, was a more representative effort, as was 1964's Live at Birdland, also a combination of live and studio tracks, despite its title. But Crescent, also released in 1964, seemed to find a middle ground between traditional and free playing, and was welcomed by critics. This trend was continued with 1965's A Love Supreme, one of Coltrane's best-loved albums, which earned him two Grammy nominations, for jazz composition and performance, and became his biggest-selling record. Also during the year, Impulse! released the standards collection The John Coltrane Quartet Plays... and another album of "free" playing, Ascension, as well as New Thing at Newport, a live album consisting of one side by Coltrane and the other by Archie Shepp.
1966 saw the release of the albums Kulu Se Mama and Meditations, Coltrane's last recordings to appear during his lifetime, though he had finished and approved release for his next album, Expression, the Friday before his death in July 1967. He died suddenly of liver cancer, entering the hospital on a Sunday and expiring in the early morning hours of the next day. He had left behind a considerable body of unreleased work that came out in subsequent years, including "Live" at the Village Vanguard Again! (1967), Om (1967), Cosmic Music (1968), Selflessness (1969), Transition (1969), Sun Ship (1971), Africa/Brass, Vol. 2 (1974), Interstellar Space (1974), and First Meditations (For Quartet) (1977), all on Impulse! Compilations and releases of archival live recordings brought him a series of Grammy nominations, including Best Jazz Performance for the Atlantic album The Coltrane Legacy in 1970; Best Jazz Performance, Group, and Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for "Giant Steps" from the Atlantic album Alternate Takes in 1974; and Best Jazz Performance, Group, and Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for Afro Blue Impressions in 1977. He won the 1981 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for Bye Bye Blackbird, an album of recordings made live in Europe in 1962, and he was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, 25 years after his death.
John Coltrane is sometimes described as one of jazz's most influential musicians, but one is hard put to find followers who actually play in his style. Rather, he is influential by example, inspiring musicians to experiment, take chances, and devote themselves to their craft. The controversy about his work has never died down, but partially as a result, his name lives on and his recordings continue to remain available and to be reissued frequently.
American jazz great John Coltrane emerged in the 1950s, playing tenor and soprano sax with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. A leader of "hard bop", in the 1960s he led his own groups and changed the face of jazz with experimentation and improvisation, his later recordings reflecting his belief that music was a form of spiritual expression. Sometimes called simply 'Trane, his recordings include Giant Steps (1959), My Favorite Things (1960), Olé (1961) and A Love Supreme (1964). In his later recordings he collaborated on avante-garde music with his wife, Alice Coltrane (b. Alice McLeod, 1937-2007), who had a career in her own right.
The band sometimes called Coltrane's "classic quartet" of the early 1960s included McCoy Tyner (piano), Elvin Jones (drums) and Jimmy Garrison (bass).
Despite a relatively brief career (he first came to notice as a sideman at age 29 in 1955, formally launched a solo career at 33 in 1960, and was dead at 40 in 1967), saxophonist John Coltrane was among the most important, and most controversial, figures in jazz. It seems amazing that his period of greatest activity was so short, not only because he recorded prolifically, but also because, taking advantage of his fame, the record companies that recorded him as a sideman in the 1950s frequently reissued those recordings under his name and there has been a wealth of posthumously released material as well. Since Coltrane was a protean player who changed his style radically over the course of his career, this has made for much confusion in his discography and in appreciations of his playing. There remains a critical divide between the adherents of his earlier, more conventional (if still highly imaginative) work and his later, more experimental work. No one, however, questions Coltrane's almost religious commitment to jazz or doubts his significance in the history of the music.
Coltrane was the son of John R. Coltrane, a tailor and amateur musician, and Alice (Blair) Coltrane. Two months after his birth, his maternal grandfather, the Reverend William Blair, was promoted to presiding elder in the A.M.E. Zion Church and moved his family, including his infant grandson, to High Point, NC, where Coltrane grew up. Shortly after he graduated from grammar school in 1939, his father, his grandparents, and his uncle died, leaving him to be raised in a family consisting of his mother, his aunt, and his cousin. His mother worked as a domestic to support the family. The same year, he joined a community band in which he played clarinet and E flat alto horn; he took up the alto saxophone in his high school band. During World War II, his mother, aunt, and cousin moved north to New Jersey to seek work, leaving him with family friends; in 1943, when he graduated from high school, he too headed north, settling in Philadelphia. Eventually, the family was reunited there.
While taking jobs outside music, Coltrane briefly attended the Ornstein School of Music and studied at Granoff Studios. He also began playing in local clubs. In 1945, he was drafted into the navy and stationed in Hawaii. He never saw combat, but he continued to play music and, in fact, made his first recording with a quartet of other sailors on July 13, 1946. A performance of Tadd Dameron's "Hot House," it was released in 1993 on the Rhino Records anthology The Last Giant. Coltrane was discharged in the summer of 1946 and returned to Philadelphia. That fall, he began playing in the Joe Webb Band. In early 1947, he switched to the King Kolax Band. During the year, he switched from alto to tenor saxophone. One account claims that this was as the result of encountering alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and feeling the better-known musician had exhausted the possibilities on the instrument; another says that the switch occurred simply because Coltrane next joined a band led by Earl Bostic, who was an alto player, forcing Coltrane to play tenor. He moved on to Jimmy Heath's band in mid-1948, staying with the band, which evolved into the Howard McGhee All Stars until early 1949, when he returned to Philadelphia. That fall, he joined a big band led by Dizzy Gillespie, remaining until the spring of 1951, by which time the band had been trimmed to a septet. On March 1, 1951, he took his first solo on record during a performance of "We Love to Boogie" with Gillespie.
At some point during this period, Coltrane became a heroin addict, which made him more difficult to employ. He played with various bands, mostly around Philadelphia, during the early '50s, his next important job coming in the spring of 1954, when Johnny Hodges, temporarily out of the Duke Ellington band, hired him. But he was fired because of his addiction in September 1954. He returned to Philadelphia, where he was playing, when he was hired by Miles Davis a year later. His association with Davis was the big break that finally established him as an important jazz musician. Davis, a former drug addict himself, had kicked his habit and gained recognition at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1955, resulting in a contract with Columbia Records and the opportunity to organize a permanent band, which, in addition to him and Coltrane, consisted of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer "Philly" Joe Jones. This unit immediately began to record extensively, not only because of the Columbia contract, but also because Davis had signed with the major label before fulfilling a deal with jazz independent Prestige Records that still had five albums to run. The trumpeter's Columbia debut, 'Round About Midnight, which he immediately commenced recording, did not appear until March 1957. The first fruits of his association with Coltrane came in April 1956 with the release of The New Miles Davis Quintet (aka Miles), recorded for Prestige on November 16, 1955. During 1956, in addition to his recordings for Columbia, Davis held two marathon sessions for Prestige to fulfill his obligation to the label, which released the material over a period of time under the titles Cookin' (1957), Relaxin' (1957), Workin' (1958), and Steamin' (1961).
Coltrane's association with Davis inaugurated a period when he began to frequently record as a sideman. Davis may have been trying to end his association with Prestige, but Coltrane began appearing on many of the label's sessions. After he became better known in the 1960s, Prestige and other labels began to repackage this work under his name, as if he had been the leader, a process that has continued to the present day. (Prestige was acquired by Fantasy Records in 1972, and many of the recordings in which Coltrane participated have been reissued on Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics [OJC] imprint.)
Coltrane tried and failed to kick heroin in the summer of 1956, and in October, Davis fired him, though the trumpeter had relented and taken him back by the end of November. Early in 1957, Coltrane formally signed with Prestige as a solo artist, though he remained in the Davis band and also continued to record as a sideman for other labels. In April, Davis fired him again. This may have given him the impetus finally to kick his drug habit, and freed of the necessity of playing gigs with Davis, he began to record even more frequently. On May 31, 1957, he finally made his recording debut as a leader, putting together a pickup band consisting of trumpeter Johnny Splawn, baritone saxophonist Sahib Shihab, pianists Mal Waldron and Red Garland (on different tracks), bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Al "Tootie" Heath. They cut an album Prestige titled simply Coltrane upon release in September 1957. (It has since been reissued under the title First Trane.)
In June 1957, Coltrane joined the Thelonious Monk Quartet, consisting of Monk on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Shadow Wilson on drums. During this period, he developed a technique of playing several notes at once, and his solos began to go on longer. In August, he recorded material belatedly released on the Prestige albums Lush Life (1960) and The Last Trane (1965), as well as the material for John Coltrane With the Red Garland Trio, released later in the year. (It was later reissued under the title Traneing In.) But Coltrane's second album to be recorded and released contemporaneously under his name alone was cut in September for Blue Note Records. This was Blue Train, featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Kenny Drew, and the Miles Davis rhythm section of Chambers and "Philly" Joe Jones; it was released in December 1957. That month, Coltrane rejoined Davis, playing in what was now a sextet that also featured Cannonball Adderley. In January 1958, he led a recording session for Prestige that produced tracks later released on Lush Life, The Last Trane, and The Believer (1964). In February and March, he recorded Davis' album Milestones..., released later in 1958. In between the sessions, he cut his third album to be released under his name alone, Soultrane, issued in September by Prestige. Also in March 1958, he cut tracks as a leader that would be released later on the Prestige collection Settin' the Pace (1961). In May, he again recorded for Prestige as a leader, though the results would not be heard until the release of Black Pearls in 1964.
Coltrane appeared as part of the Miles Davis group at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1958. The band's set was recorded and released in 1964 on an LP also featuring a performance by Thelonious Monk as Miles & Monk at Newport. In 1988, Columbia reissued the material on an album called Miles & Coltrane. The performance inspired a review in Down Beat, the leading jazz magazine, that was an early indication of the differing opinions on Coltrane that would be expressed throughout the rest of his career and long after his death. The review referred to his "angry tenor," which, it said, hampered the solidarity of the Davis band. The review led directly to an article published in the magazine on October 16, 1958, in which critic Ira Gitler defended the saxophonist and coined the much-repeated phrase "sheets of sound" to describe his playing.
Coltrane's next Prestige session as a leader occurred later in July 1958 and resulted in tracks later released on the albums Standard Coltrane (1962), Stardust (1963), and Bahia (1965). All of these tracks were later compiled on a reissue called The Stardust Session. He did a final session for Prestige in December 1958, recording tracks later released on The Believer, Stardust, and Bahia. This completed his commitment to the label, and he signed to Atlantic Records, doing his first recording for his new employers on January 15, 1959, with a session on which he was co-billed with vibes player Milt Jackson, though it did not appear until 1961 with the LP Bags and Trane.
In March and April 1959, Coltrane participated with the Davis group on the album Kind of Blue. Released on August 17, 1959, this landmark album known for its "modal" playing (improvisations based on scales or "modes," rather than chords) became one of the best-selling and most-acclaimed recordings in the history of jazz. In between the sessions for the album, Coltrane began recording what would be his Atlantic Records debut, Giant Steps, released in early 1960. The album, consisting entirely of Coltrane compositions, in a sense marked his real debut as a leading jazz performer, even though the 33-year-old musician had released three previous solo albums and made numerous other recordings. His next Atlantic album, Coltrane Jazz, was mostly recorded in November and December 1959 and released in February 1961. In April 1960, he finally left the Davis band and formally launched his solo career, beginning an engagement at the Jazz Gallery in New York, accompanied by pianist Steve Kuhn (soon replaced by McCoy Tyner), bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Pete La Roca (later replaced by Billy Higgins and then Elvin Jones). During this period, he increasingly played soprano saxophone as well as tenor.
In October 1960, Coltrane recorded a series of sessions for Atlantic that would produce material for several albums, including a final track used on Coltrane Jazz and tunes used on My Favorite Things (March 1961), Coltrane Plays the Blues (July 1962), and Coltrane's Sound (June 1964). His soprano version of "My Favorite Things," from the Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II musical The Sound of Music, would become a signature song for him. During the winter of 1960-1961, bassist Reggie Workman replaced Steve Davis in his band and saxophone and flute player Eric Dolphy, gradually became a member of the group.
In the wake of the commercial success of "My Favorite Things," Coltrane's star rose, and he was signed away from Atlantic as the flagship artist of the newly formed Impulse! Records label, an imprint of ABC-Paramount, though in May he cut a final album for Atlantic, Olé (February 1962). The following month, he completed his Impulse! debut, Africa/Brass. By this time, his playing was frequently in a style alternately dubbed "avant-garde," "free," or "The New Thing." Like Ornette Coleman, he played seemingly formless, extended solos that some listeners found tremendously impressive, and others decried as noise. In November 1961, John Tynan, writing in Down Beat, referred to Coltrane's playing as "anti-jazz." That month, however, Coltrane recorded one of his most celebrated albums, Live at the Village Vanguard, an LP paced by the 16-minute improvisation "Chasin' the Trane."
Between April and June 1962, Coltrane cut his next Impulse! studio album, another release called simply Coltrane when it appeared later in the year. Working with producer Bob Thiele, he began to do extensive studio sessions, far more than Impulse! could profitably release at the time, especially with Prestige and Atlantic still putting out their own archival albums. But the material would serve the label well after the saxophonist's untimely death. Thiele acknowledged that Coltrane's next three Impulse! albums to be released, Ballads, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, and John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman (all 1963), were recorded at his behest to quiet the critics of Coltrane's more extreme playing. Impressions (1963), drawn from live and studio recordings made in 1962 and 1963, was a more representative effort, as was 1964's Live at Birdland, also a combination of live and studio tracks, despite its title. But Crescent, also released in 1964, seemed to find a middle ground between traditional and free playing, and was welcomed by critics. This trend was continued with 1965's A Love Supreme, one of Coltrane's best-loved albums, which earned him two Grammy nominations, for jazz composition and performance, and became his biggest-selling record. Also during the year, Impulse! released the standards collection The John Coltrane Quartet Plays... and another album of "free" playing, Ascension, as well as New Thing at Newport, a live album consisting of one side by Coltrane and the other by Archie Shepp.
1966 saw the release of the albums Kulu Se Mama and Meditations, Coltrane's last recordings to appear during his lifetime, though he had finished and approved release for his next album, Expression, the Friday before his death in July 1967. He died suddenly of liver cancer, entering the hospital on a Sunday and expiring in the early morning hours of the next day. He had left behind a considerable body of unreleased work that came out in subsequent years, including "Live" at the Village Vanguard Again! (1967), Om (1967), Cosmic Music (1968), Selflessness (1969), Transition (1969), Sun Ship (1971), Africa/Brass, Vol. 2 (1974), Interstellar Space (1974), and First Meditations (For Quartet) (1977), all on Impulse! Compilations and releases of archival live recordings brought him a series of Grammy nominations, including Best Jazz Performance for the Atlantic album The Coltrane Legacy in 1970; Best Jazz Performance, Group, and Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for "Giant Steps" from the Atlantic album Alternate Takes in 1974; and Best Jazz Performance, Group, and Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for Afro Blue Impressions in 1977. He won the 1981 Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Soloist, for Bye Bye Blackbird, an album of recordings made live in Europe in 1962, and he was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, 25 years after his death.
John Coltrane is sometimes described as one of jazz's most influential musicians, but one is hard put to find followers who actually play in his style. Rather, he is influential by example, inspiring musicians to experiment, take chances, and devote themselves to their craft. The controversy about his work has never died down, but partially as a result, his name lives on and his recordings continue to remain available and to be reissued frequently.
Sing Sing Sing
John Coltrane Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Sing Sing Sing' by these artists:
101 Strings Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Adrian Aardvark Got a tiger on your tail, it's chasing you down…
American Patrol Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Andrews Sisters Sing, sing, sing, sing, everybody start to sing Now you're s…
Anita O Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Anita O'Day & Russ Garcia and His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Anita O'Day Russ Garcia & His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-d…
Anita O'Day/The Russell Garcia Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Anita O\'Day Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-d…
At17 Sing Sing Sing(粤) 作曲：At17 填词：于逸尧@人山人海 编曲：蔡德才@人山人海、At17、Gary@…
Ballroom Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Ben Liebrand Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Benny Goodman & Louis Prima Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Benny Goodman & Orch Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Billy Eckstine I got a right to sing the blues I got a…
Billy May I gotta right to sing the blues I gotta right to…
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Charles Barlow & His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Chas McDevitt Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Chicago Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody's got to sing Stick with us…
Chicago And The Gipsy Kings Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody's got to sing Stick with …
Chicago feat. Gipsy Kings Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody's got to sing Stick with us…
Chris Daniels & the Kings Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Chris Tomlin We will sing, sing, sing And make music with the heavens We…
Citizen Way Sing, sing, sing if you feel alone Sing, sing, sing if…
City Rhythm Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Clouds Sing,sing I can sing out loud Sing a song for you…
Cluster Sisters Sing Sing Sing] Sing sing sing sing Everybody start to…
Coleman Hawkins And Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Colin Busby Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Count Basie I gotta right to sing the blues I gotta right to…
Country Joe The Fish Open my eyes I've been dreaming, Open my eyes I've been…
D'S3 Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Daimler BigBand 그대 오늘 하루 힘들었나요 내 눈에 작은 슬픔 보여요 하루 지나고 또…
Daniels Eddie Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra I come to Australia as many people do To see the…
Derrick Carter Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Dianne Reeves Go on and sing my heart You know it's spring my…
Dick Haymes & Harry James and His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Dick Hyman Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Doc Severinsen and His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
E-Smoove Shoulda left my babygirl a message That said I wouldn't be…
Eddie Daniels Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Eddy Kim Sing Sing Sing Oh again amureon saenggak eobsi Sing Sing…
Eight to the Bar Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Ella Fitzgerald Choppity chop chop, chop chopsticks Choppity chop chop, chop…
Enoch Light and the Light Brigade Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Ford-Big-Band บ่อยครั้งสิ่งที่เราเห็น กับความจริงที่เป็นก็ไม่ใช่สิ่งเดียวก…
Frank Sinatra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
G-Swing Ania Chow Sing of God's goodness, mercy and His grace Sing of God's…
G. SWING Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Gene Krupa Benny Goodman & His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Giggle and Hoot Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Glenn Miller & The Army Airforce Band We meet and the angels sing The angels sing the…
Gomalan Brass Quintet Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Hank Williams In this world of sorrow I've seen trouble and woe When…
Hank Williams Jr. & Hank Williams Sr In this world of sorrow I've seen trouble and woe When…
Henry Jerome and His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Henry Mancini Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Jazbeat Sing sing sing sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Jazbeat Feat. M. D'Avola I can feel my heart Slow down around you So much value…
Jazz Band Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Jazzbit Sing sing sing sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Jess Stacy Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Jim & Jesse McReynolds For all who gather 'round to listen to this song's…
Jimi Bott Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Keely Smith & Louis Prima Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
ken peplowski Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
King Of Swing Orchestra We meet, and the angels sing The angels sing the sweetest…
Kit Mcclure Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
L. Prima Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Larry Elgart & His Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Les Brown Sing, sing a song Sing out loud Sing out strong Sing of good…
Levon Helm The world we know was built on skills But that alone…
Levon Helm & THE RCO All-Stars บางคืนเหงาเศร้าตรมฤทัย สุดจะฝืนกล้ำกลืนน้ำตา เฝ้าแต่คิดถึงเธ…
Lighthouse I don't think I'm crazy|I don't think I'm out of…
Lisa Yves Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Louis Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Louis Armstrong Ooh, I want a little girl To call my own Must be…
Louis Prima Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Louis Prima His New Orleans Gang Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, …
Louis Prima & His Band Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Louis Prima And His Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Louis Prima Sam Butera & The Witnesses Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-d…
Louis Prima with Sam Butera and the Witnesses Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Manhattan Jazz Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Maranatha! Praise Band We will sing, sing, sing And make music with the heavens We…
Marlene meets Masato Honda B.B. Station Keep moving, keep moving Keep moving, keep moving Yo fro…
Martha Tilton & Benny Goodman Orchestra We meet, and the angels sing The angels sing the sweetest…
Mary B. Rivers Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Nat King Cole and Oscar Moore Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to the new born King Peac…
Nettai Tropical Jazz Big Band Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Nicola Arigliano I sing ammore Per dirti: "Darling, I love you Sto inguaiato,…
O'Day Anita Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
P. Louis Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Passion We will sing, sing, sing And make music with the heavens We…
Patrick S. Brady Sing my chorus Sing my music Sing my songs back to me Sing…
Paul Anka Ark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the new-born King!…
Pepe & the Bottle Blondes Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Pink Sing,sing I can sing out loud Sing a song for you…
Prima Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Ralph Carmichael Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Roger and the evolution We're much the same, yet worlds apart But we've been one…
Roy Eldridge Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Sam Butera & The Witnesses Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody start to sing La dee da, ho…
Seamus Blake Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Skip Martin & The Andrews Sisters Sing, sing, sing, sing, everybody start to sing Now you're s…
Skip Martin and His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Starsound Orchestra Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
The Andrews Sisters Sing, sing, sing, sing, everybody start to sing Now you're s…
The B - Roads แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก (แม้ว่าใจอยากบอกความจริงสักเ…
The Bands of H.M. Royal Marines The British Army And The Royal Air Force I can feel my heart Slow down around you So much value…
The BBC Big Band Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
The Broads We're gonna make a show So don't be slow, now go,…
The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
The Cousins 果てしなく続いてる この空の向こうに 悲しみに震えてる 小さな生命がある 争い傷つけ合う 歴史を繰り返し 何のために 生…
The D's 3 Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
The Glenn Miller Orchestra We meet and the angels sing The angels sing the…
The Hit Crew Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
The Tape-beatles Tell me that you've got everything you want And your bird…
The Three Suns Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Thilo Wolf Big Band & Trio Hark the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn king Peace …
Those Darn Accordions! Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Tokyo DisneySea 愛にできることは まだあるかい 何も持たずに 生まれ堕ちた僕 永遠の隙間で のたうち回ってる 諦めた者と 賢い者だけ…
Tommy Dorsey Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Tommy Vee and Mr. V แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก (แม้ว่าใจอยากบอกความจริงสักเ…
U.S.C Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
V.A. แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก แม้ว่าใจอยากบอก (แม้ว่าใจอยากบอกความจริงสักเ…
Various Artists We sing the same song you and I. With lead feet…
Vido Musso Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Vocal Point When I was a baby well my mama just stared…
Walter Weeman's Brass & Singers The First Noel the angels did say Was to certain poor…
Wil Salden and his Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
Willie Lewis Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
Wolfgang Lohr Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody's got to sing Who-oo, wa-ho…
Wolfgang Lohr feat. The Speakeasy Three Everybody go, everybody go, everybody go You gotta go Everyb…
Wolfgang Lohr The Speakeasy Three Sing, sing, sing, sing Everybody's got to sing Who-oo, wa-ho…
Wolverines Big Band Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee…
www.livremusicagospel.com;Chris Tomlin We will sing, sing, sing And make music with the heavens We…
Xavier Cugat & His Orchestra Do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do-do-do, do-do! Do-do…
大原櫻子 慌てて くらべて どこまで へこむの 「毎日はドコへ?」 私に迫ってくる お手上げ気味の bodyに ムチ打ち 今日も…
We have lyrics for these tracks by John Coltrane:
'Round Midnight It begins to tell, 'round midnight, midnight. I do pretty we…
01. Stairway to the Stars Let's build a stairway to the stars And climb that stairway…
09 Spring Is Here Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing? Spring is…
1Bye Bye Blackbird No one here can love or understand me Oh, what hard…
4 Of the wonderful things that you get out of life…
A Love Supreme A love supreme…
A Love Supreme Pt. 3: Pursuance Chant-like: A love supreme Supreme, supreme…
A Love Supreme Pt. I A love supreme…
Africa I hear the drums echoing tonight But she hears only whisper…
Afro Blue Newton-John Olivia Xanadu Magic (Olivia Newton-John) Come…
After the Rain Behind your eyes, dark clouds are formin' I see his memory…
Ain Though folks with good intentions Tell me to save my tears W…
Alabama Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair All the world…
All or Nothing At All All or nothing at all Half a love, never appealed to…
Angelica Angelica cuando te nombro Me vuelve a la memoria Un…
Ascension Part I A love supreme…
Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Autumn Serenade Through the trees comes autumn with her serenade. Melodies t…
Bakai John Coltrane - tenor saxophone Johnnie Splawn - trumpet S…
Black Pearls Hey I've been runnin' Since I don't know when Runnin' i…
Body and Soul My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
But Not for Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
Bye No one here can love or understand me Oh, what hard…
Bye_Bye_Blackbird No one here can love or understand me Oh, what hard…
Centerpiece The more I'm with you pretty baby The more I feel…
Chronic Blues There's no point in asking You'll get no reply Oh just rem…
Could Write A Book If they ask me, I could write a book About the…
Countdown [Instrumental]…
Dear Old Stockholm Dear old Southland I hear you calling me. And I long…
Dear Old Stockholm* Dear old Southland I hear you calling me. And I long…
Dedicated to You If I should write a book for you That brought me…
Don Ever since the lucky night I found you I've hung around…
Don't Blame Me Ever since the lucky night I found you I've hung around…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Equinox Meet me on the Equinox Meet me half way When the sun…
Exactly Like You I used to have a perfect sweetheart Not a real one,…
Falling In Love With Love I weave with brightly colored strings To keep my mind off…
Four Of the wonderful things that you get out of life…
From this moment on From this moment on You for me, dear Only two for tea,…
Giant Steps [Instrumental]…
How Deep Is the Ocean How much do I love you? I'll tell you no lie How…
How Deep Is the Ocean? How much do I love you? I'll tell you no lie How…
How Long Has This Been Going On As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties, I…
I I wish I knew someone like you could love me I…
I Could Write A Book If they ask me, I could write a book About the…
I got it bad Though folks with good intentions Tell me to save my tears W…
i mean you I'll get by As long as I have you Though there be…
I Never Knew You, get me feelin' crazy There always on my mind And I…
I Wish I Knew I wish I knew someone like you could love me I…
I'll Get By I'll get by As long as I have you Though there be…
If I Ask me how do I feel, Now that we're cosy and…
If There Is Someone Lovelier Than You If there is someone lovelier than you Then I am blind,…
If There is Someone Lovelier You If there is someone lovelier than you Then I am blind,…
In a Sentimental Mood In a Sentimental Mood I can see The stars come through…
It Might as Well Be Spring I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
It's a Good Day Though folks with good intentions Tell me to save my tears W…
Jupiter Searching in the sky one night, while looking for the…
Just for the Love Love for sale Appetizing young love for sale Love that's fre…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Just Squeeze Me Want you to know I go for your squeezin' Want you…
Just You Just you, just me Let's find a cozy spot To cuddle and…
Just You Just Me Just you, just me Let's find a cozy spot To cuddle and…
Just YouJust Me Just you, just me Let's find a cozy spot To cuddle and…
Like Someone in Love Lately, I find myself out gazing at stars, Hearing guitars…
Limehouse Blues And those weird China blues Never go away Sad, mad blues For…
Little Old Lady Little old lady passing by Catching everyone's eye You hav…
Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
Love for Sale Love for sale Appetizing young love for sale Love that's fre…
Love Is Everywhere There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
Love Supreme Pt. 1: Acknowledgement Chant-like: A love supreme Supreme, supreme…
Love Thy Neigbor Love thy neighbor, Walk up and say "How be ya Gee! But…
Love Thy Neighbour "Love thy neighbor and you will find your labor A great…
Lover You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
Lush Life I used to visit all the very gay places Those come-what-may…
Miles Point me at the red planet I want to get my…
Moment From this moment on You for me, dear Only two for tea,…
Mr. P.C. [Instrumental]…
My Favorite Things Raindrops on roses and Whiskers on kittens Bright copper ket…
My Little Brown Book ""My little brown book With the silver binding How it…
My One And Only Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
Naima [Instrumental]…
Nature Boy There was a boy A very strange Enchanted boy They say he…
On Green Dolphin Street It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened A…
On It They say that falling love is wonderful It's wonderful, so t…
Once in a While Once in a while will you try to give One little…
One And Only Love The very thought of you makes my heart sing Like an…
One By One I wish I knew someone like you could love me I…
Part 1 A love supreme…
Polka Dots and Moonbeams A country dance was being held in a garden I felt…
Rise Rise 'n' shine, Stand up and take it! Rise 'n' shine, Lif…
Round About Midnight It begins to tell, 'round midnight, midnight. I do pretty we…
Saturn I ask Him when will I be free He said…
Solitude In my solitude You haunt me With dreadful ease Of days gone …
Some Day My Prince Will Come Somewhere waiting for me There is someone I'm longing to see…
Something I Dreamed Last Night I can't believe that you're not here with me To have…
Speak Low Speak low when you speak, love, Our summer day withers away…
Spiral [Instrumental]…
Spiritual Jesus I don't wanna die alone Jesus, oh Jesus I don't wan…
Spring Is Here Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing? Spring is…
Stairway To The Stars Let's build a stairway to the stars And climb that stairway…
Stardust And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Stars Fell on Alabama Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair All the world…
Stella By Stardust The song a robin sings Through years of endless springs The …
Summertime Summertime and the livin' is easy Fish are jumpin' and the…
Sweet and Lovely Sweet and lovely sweeter than the roses in May Sweet and…
Syeeda's Song Flute [Instrumental]…
The Believer Never mind all the things you heard about me You're never…
The Way You Look Tonight There was a time I was everything and nothing all in…
Then I You look at me and wonder, you look at me…
There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
They Say It They say that falling love is wonderful It's wonderful, so …
They Say It's Wonderful They say that falling love is wonderful So wonderful, so the…
To Be You look at me and wonder, you look at me…
Vigil Our father thy will be done. I have denied this life…
Violets for Your Furs [Instrumental]…
When Lights Are Low Listen to the melody entrancing Blending in a soft and sweet…
Why Was I Born Spending these lonesome evenings With nothing to do But to l…
Why Was I Born? Spending these lonesome evenings With nothing to do But to…
You Are Too Beautiful You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true And I…
You are too beautifull You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true And I…
You Go to My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You Leave Me Breathless If our love was a fairy tale I would charge in…
You're A Weaver Of Dreams You're a weaver of dreams You and your strange fascination …
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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