In Memory of John Coltrane

John Coltrane had had a greater impact upon jazz since 1960 than any other musician, even to this day. He had been the most influential jazz musician from 1960 to 1965. Coltrane enormous influence is based on (1) his tone and technique on the soprano and tenor saxes; (2) his lengthy, developmental modal, or scalar, improvising; and (3) his wholehearted dedication to music as a moral and spiritual force.

 

Today, we can still find some of his works, first rate albums such as Impressions, Coltrane Live at Birdland, and First Meditations (for quartet), all filled with great moments and should not be missed. Some numbers such as Naima (which he dedicated to his wife), Summertime, Chasin’ The Trane, might appeal to one’s taste.

 

In 1966 Coltrane began to suffer from a liver ailment, his stringent health-food diet did not improve matters significantly, and working himself to exhaustion aggravated his condition. Nevertheless, his manner was marked by serenity. Coltrane’s thoughts turned increasingly to religion, and he considered it a mission “to uplift people” through his music. His goals became simple and profound. In the summer of 1966, he told an interviewer: “ I know that there are bad forces, forces put here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the force which is truly for good”. One year later on July 17, 1967, Coltrane died in a New York hospital. Although his life was short, he left his music of sufficient beauty and originality to inspire others for generation to come. – from History of Jazz on Records.