John Coltrane

tenor and soprano saxophones · 1926–1967 · Hamlet

From Giant Steps to A Love Supreme, an increasingly spiritual quest.

Contribution to jazz

In ten years, John Coltrane goes from hard bop to spiritual exploration and then to free jazz. Giant Steps (1960) pushes harmony to its limit. With his quartet (McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones), he invents an almost liturgical modal jazz, of which A Love Supreme (1965) is the peak. He dies at 40, in 1967, in the middle of this quest.

Key dates

• 1926: Born in Hamlet, North Carolina.
• 1955: He joins Miles Davis's quintet.
• 1960: Giant Steps, on Atlantic.
• 1963: Alabama, a tribute to the victims of the Birmingham bombing.
• 1965: A Love Supreme, on Impulse!, then Ascension, freer.
• 1967: Died.

How to listen

A critic spoke of "sheets of sound" for his solos of the late 1950s: very fast phrases running through every chord. In A Love Supreme, it is the opposite: short, repeated, almost sung motifs. Listen to Elvin Jones's drumming, which boils under every solo.

Where to start

No Coltrane track is rated "Easy" in Jazzency. To prepare, first listen to Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, where he plays.

• Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme) (1965, Classic): The first movement of A Love Supreme: the best first contact.
• Alabama (1963, Classic): A slow, grave piece, more accessible than its reputation.
• Giant Steps (1960, Advanced): To listen to afterward: harmonic virtuosity in its purest state.

Styles

• Hard bop
• Modal
• Free jazz
• Spiritual jazz

Landmark albums

• Giant Steps (1960, Atlantic)
• A Love Supreme (1965, Impulse!)

What to hear next

• Miles Davis: His bandleader from 1955 to 1960 and the inventor of the modal framework.
• Ornette Coleman: The other major figure of free jazz, whom Coltrane joins on that ground from 1965.
• McCoy Tyner: The pianist of his quartet: his chords built in fourths define Coltrane's modal sound.
• Alice Coltrane: His second wife, who joined his group in 1966 and continues his spiritual path.

Landmark tracks

• Blue Train (1957)
• Moment's Notice (1957)
• Giant Steps (1960)
• Naima (1960)
• Mr. P.C. (1960)
• Countdown (1960)
• Equinox (1960)
• My Favorite Things (1961)
• Chasin' the Trane (1961)
• Impressions (1961)
• Lush Life (1963)
• Alabama (1963)
• My One and Only Love (1963)
• Bessie's Blues (1964)
• Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme) (1965)
• Ascension (1965)

Cited in 17 radio episodes

• Dedicated episode · May 12, 2019: Giant Steps, John Coltrane, le Jazz à Pas de Géant (59 Rue des Archives, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Oct 1, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, septième partie - A Love Supreme (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 30, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, sixième partie - Les années Impulse! (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 29, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, cinquième partie - My Favorite Things, naissance du Quartet (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 28, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, quatrième partie - Giant Steps (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 27, 2026: John Coltrane, Live Supreme (Jazzlive : album souvenir, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 25, 2026: À la poursuite de John Coltrane, troisième partie - Miles, Monk, Sonny, de Blue Train à Kind Of Blue (Pour qui sonne le jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)
• Sep 25, 2026: Centenaire Coltrane (Planète Jazz, TSF Jazz, in French)

And 9 more episodes in the archive.

Sources

• EN : John Coltrane

Facts checked against these pages (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Method and licenses

The editorial sections of this page (how to listen, where to start, landmarks) are written by Jazzency and are being proofread.