John Coltrane's Influence On Jazz

John Coltrane To the public he is known just as another jazz musician but for those with a more in depth music appreciation he remains one of the most significant saxophonists in jazz history. John “Trane” Coltrane’s impact on the music world was quite considerable. By revolutionizing music with his own techniques Coltrane changed jazz music forever. Coltrane was a American jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and iconic figure of the twentieth century. As a jazz singer and jazz enthusiast myself, Coltrane’s techniques and music is not on impactful but created an emotional connection between jazz and me. Author Lewis Porter says Coltrane was “one of the great musical artists of the twentieth century” (Porter 1) in his book “John Coltrane:
Dedicating his life to music at a very young age by playing the clarinet and then eventually moving on to play in a navy band in Hawaii for a year after discovering the Eb saxophone was all difficulties he faced early on in his life. The tasks themselves weren’t difficult but experiencing them all at the age of twelve soon after his aunt, grandparents, and father passed away within a few months of the same year these tasks became almost impossible. After his fathers death Coltrane’s performance in school changed drastically. “Rather than being a top student, he became an indifferent student, earning many C’s” (Porter 18). Although his determination for schoolwork declined it seems that after his father’s death music was Coltrane’s safety net. “He began playing music around this time and it may be true that perhaps music was too much on his mind. But more to the point, his obsession with music was a way of dealing with the tragedies in his life” (Porter, 18). Another obstacle Coltrane was forced to deal with was segregation. Although violence was not something commonly found in Coltrane’s town “there were constant reminders of second-class status” (Porter 19). Schools, restaurants, fountains, and more were segregated. “If the white schools got new books one year, the blacks might have got them a few years
He was surrounded by music as a child. Before his father’s early death, Coltrane’s father had a love for music. His father played several instruments and his interests later influenced him. Not only was his father passionate about music but so was his mother. “Coltrane’s mother was musical-she sang and also played piano” (Porter 25) John Coltrane’s cousin said “we had a big radio in the living room that stayed on all the time. We listened to everything…We listened to Frank Sinatra, everybody, you name it. He and I would turn the radio up loud so that we could hear it in the kitchen” (Porter 26). Coltrane’s first instrumental training was with a community band where he bean on an alto horn. At that time Coltrane said, “I hadn’t decided yet to become a professional musician. I learned a little bit haphazardly, without any system, jus enough to play a song or two. This was my first contact-so to speak- with music” (Porter 28). Around the fall of 1940 is when Coltrane fist became interested in the saxophone. Coltrane chose the sax because of his admiration for tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Soon Coltrane mastered the tenor saxophone. “There was a room in his house he would use just to practice. He played everyday, all day long. And then he would stop to get ready to go to work that night. Music was really his life” (Porter 254). Not only was Coltrane a hard working musician, he was in a thriving city for the arts at