John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on September
23, 1926, and grew up in High Point, North Carolina attending
William Penn High School. He enlisted in the Navy in 1945, and
played in the Navy jazz band once he was stationed in Hawaii. While
in the Navy, Coltrane began playing jazz with other musicians in
the Navy jazz band. Coltrane returned to civilian life in 1946 and
began to study jazz theory. EARLY BEGINNINGS
Slide 4
A picture of a young John Coltrane when he was enlisted in the
United States Navy. This is when he began to take interest in Jazz
music. SAILOR
Slide 5
Coltranes jazz development started when he saw Charlie Parker
perform live on June 5 th, 1945. This performance inspired John
Coltrane to take his saxophone abilities to the next level. Charlie
Parker JAZZ DEVELOPMENT
Slide 6
Coltrane hit it big while he was freelancing down in
Phildelphia in 1955 when he received a phone call from famous
trumpeter, Miles Davis. Davis asked Coltrane to join his quintet
(later would be referred to as the first great quintet HITTING IT
BIG Coltrane playing alongside Miles Davis In 1955
Slide 7
After playing with Miles quintet, Coltrane then joined pianist
Thelonious Monks quintet in 1957 Thelonious Monk was renowned in
the jazz scene for his complex arrangenments. OTHER
COLLABORATIONS
Slide 8
After a second stint with Miles Davis, John Coltrane decided to
be the leader of his own jazz group in 1960. Some of Coltranes most
famous recordings came out of this period. GOING SOLO Giant Steps
is one of Coltranes most famous recordings. His groundbreaking
solos on this track revolutionized the way musicians look at
constructing solos.
Slide 9
John Coltranes solos featured a unique music theory. John
Coltrane would descend notes in major thirds over irregular chords
of a II-V-I substitution. This Style can be heard on Giant Steps.
COLTRANE CHANGES THEORY
Slide 10
After an illustrious career, Coltrane died from liver cancer at
Huntington Hospital on Long Island on July 17, 1967, at the age of
40 Coltrane was a known user of alcohol and heroin. Even 50 years
after his death, Coltranes legacy lives on. He is regarded as one
of the best tenor saxophonists to have ever lived. DEATH AND
LEGACY