Coltrane, John William
1926-1967 · Contribution: 1955-1967
Jazz Saxophonist & Composer
Transformed jazz saxophone playing and pioneered modal jazz alongside Miles Davis, creating his 1965 masterwork A Love Supreme as a spiritual meditation now considered one of the most influential and acclaimed albums in the history of American music
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1926
- Active since
- 1955
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- "A Love Supreme"Pioneered modal jazz"Sheets of sound"
Impact on the world
Coltrane pushed jazz improvisation and spirituality to new frontiers, influencing not just saxophonists but the direction of the entire music. "A Love Supreme" became a touchstone of artistic devotion.
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Related visionaries
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1901-1971
Transformed jazz from collective ensemble playing into a soloist's art form through his revolutionary 1920s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings, establishing the trumpet as jazz's premier solo instrument and pioneering scat singing, while later becoming, as “Satchmo,” one of the most beloved entertainers in American history
Ellington, Edward Kennedy “Duke”
1899-1974
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Simone, Nina (Eunice Kathleen Waymon)
1933-2003
Classically trained pianist who became one of the civil rights movement's most direct musical voices after a music conservatory's rejection she attributed to racial discrimination; wrote 'Mississippi Goddam' in under an hour following the 1963 Birmingham church bombing