ARTIST STORY
JOHN COLTRANE.
A saxophone that keeps searching, from a simple melody to music without fixed boundaries. John Coltrane changed how jazz can sound and what it can mean.
IMAGE CREDIT: Hugo van Gelderen / Anefo, Nationaal Archief · Schiphol, October 26, 1963 · CC0 1.0 · Crop for this publication.
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Open in Spotify ↗FOUR NOTES ARE ENOUGH TO BEGIN.
A gong, a few piano chords, then the bass. The beginning of A Love Supreme gives you something simple to hold onto before John Coltrane’s saxophone starts to search. The music can expand and grow abrasive, but that small motif remains a reference point. You don’t need to be able to name chords to feel that someone is trying to convey something here with great focus.
His tenor sounds sturdy and grainy, his soprano saxophone brighter and more piercing. Behind the long lines, the breathing of a musician remains tangible.
LEARNING, PLAYING, STARTING AGAIN.
Coltrane was born in 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. Via High Point, he ended up in Philadelphia. He learned his craft in dance bands, rhythm-and-blues, and bebop: years of practice, listening, and playing together preceded his innovations.
His work with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk sharpened his ear. In 1957, he recorded his debut for Prestige and made Blue Train for Blue Note. The three horns give the themes a broad color; his solos continue to search for new possibilities.
FROM GIANT STEPS TO OPEN SPACE.
Giant Steps from 1960 moves at breakneck speed through its harmonies. Listen afterwards to Naima on the same record: even a single long-held note can carry great weight with Coltrane.
My Favorite Things from 1961 opens another route. The melody from The Sound of Music remains recognizable, but on soprano saxophone, it is given every bit of space to circle around. McCoy Tyner’s piano, Steve Davis’s bass, and Elvin Jones’s drums make repetition fluid. The familiar song becomes a starting point for a longer journey.
FOUR MUSICIANS, A SHARED FOCUS.
Pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones formed his famous quartet with Coltrane. On Crescent, you can hear how Jones makes the rhythm ripple while Tyner and Garrison provide a foundation.
A Love Supreme was recorded in December 1964 and released in 1965. It is a four-part work in which Coltrane makes his spiritual conviction audible. Even without sharing that conviction, you can follow the movement: a first acknowledgment, ever-increasing urgency, then an ending that can sound like a sermon. The coherence lies in the focus with which each part leads to the next.
ONE THING YOU DIDN’T KNOW.
On A Love Supreme, you can also hear Coltrane singing: he repeats the title in Acknowledgement. Furthermore, the original cover includes a letter and a poem written by him. The man who knew how to say so much without words thus also gave this record a personal written and vocal voice.
THE SEARCH REMAINS OPEN.
In his later work, the ensembles grow larger and the forms freer. Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Rashied Ali play important roles in that development. From the large ensemble on Ascension to the duet with Ali on Interstellar Space, the relationship between melody, rhythm, and sound changes again and again.
Coltrane passed away in 1967. Later, unknown studio recordings were released, including Both Directions at Once and Blue World. Start today with My Favorite Things: follow the melody and let the interplay carry you away.
THE FACTS
ESSENTIAL DISCOGRAPHY
Studio releases as leader or co-leader, by year of first release; recordings can be much older. Blue Train follows the 1957 date of Blue Note. Impressions (1963), Live at Birdland (1964), and Selflessness (1969) combine studio and concert material and are therefore excluded from this studio series. Regular compilations, repackages, individual alternative takes, and appearances as a sideman are not listed separately.
- 1957Coltrane — Prestige
- 1957Blue Train
- 1957Tenor Conclave — joint ensemble
- 1957Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors — joint ensemble
- 1958John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio / Traneing In
- 1958Soultrane
- 1958Tanganyika Strut — with Wilbur Harden
- 1958Jazz Way Out — with Wilbur Harden
- 1958Wheelin’ & Dealin’ — joint ensemble
- 1959Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette
- 1959The Cats — with Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell and Idrees Sulieman
- 1960Giant Steps
- 1961Lush Life
- 1961Coltrane Jazz
- 1961My Favorite Things
- 1961Bags & Trane — with Milt Jackson
- 1961Africa/Brass
- 1961Olé Coltrane
- 1961Settin’ the Pace
- 1962Coltrane Plays the Blues
- 1962Coltrane — Impulse!
- 1962Standard Coltrane
- 1963Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
- 1963Ballads
- 1963Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
- 1963John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
- 1963Stardust
- 1963Dakar
- 1964The Believer
- 1964Coltrane’s Sound
- 1964Black Pearls
- 1964Crescent
- 1965A Love Supreme
- 1965Bahia
- 1965The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
- 1966Ascension
- 1966The Avant-Garde — with Don Cherry
- 1966Meditations
- 1966The Last Trane
- 1967Kulu Sé Mama
- 1967Expression
- 1968Om
- 1968Cosmic Music — with Alice Coltrane
- 1970Transition
- 1971Sun Ship
- 1972Infinity
- 1974Interstellar Space
- 1977First Meditations (for quartet)
- 1995Stellar Regions
- 2018Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album
- 2019Blue World
FAQ
Who was John Coltrane?
John Coltrane was an American saxophonist and composer who profoundly changed modern jazz. He played everything from bebop and hard bop to modal jazz and free improvisation.
Did John Coltrane play with Miles Davis?
Yes. Coltrane played with Miles Davis during various periods, including around the time of Kind of Blue. The collaboration helped establish his international reputation and was an important step in his development.
What is A Love Supreme?
A Love Supreme (1965) is a four-part suite by the John Coltrane Quartet. The album is both a spiritual statement and a pinnacle of his modal jazz period.
Which musicians played in the classic John Coltrane Quartet?
The classic lineup consisted of McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Their interplay gave Coltrane space for long, intensely built-up improvisations.
Which John Coltrane record is good on vinyl?
A Love Supreme is the best starting point and has official vinyl reissues. If you want to explore further, listen to Giant Steps for his harmonic side or My Favorite Things for his modal playing.
Discover the musical context in JAZZ..
THE FINAL WORD.
YOU DON’T NEED TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING TO LISTEN.
Coltrane invites you to stay attentive, even when the music enters unfamiliar territory. A melody, a rhythm, or a single saxophone note can be the beginning. You’ll discover the rest as the record spins.
Would you like to get to know one record up close? Read the album story of A LOVE SUPREME.
FURTHER LISTENING ON VINYL
Discover Coltrane - Live At Birdland, Blue Train, Coltrane 100 - Selections From 1951 - 1967 and continue your listening journey on the turntable.
