“V’S JVGW PD….. (Please refer to your newspaper for complete puzzle.)
TODAY’S CLUE: S = D
ANSWER: “I’D LIKE TO POINT OUT TO PEOPLE THE DIVINE IN A MUSICAL LANGUAGE THAT TRANSCENDS WORDS. I WANT TO SPEAK TO THEIR SOULS.” — JOHN COLTRANE
John Coltrane
September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967 • aged 40 • American Jazz Saxophonist & Composer
Overview
John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer whose adventurous playing made him one of the most influential musicians in jazz history. Known primarily for the tenor and soprano saxophones, he continually experimented with harmony, improvisation, rhythm, and musical form.
North Carolina Beginnings
Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, and grew up in High Point. He studied several instruments while young before concentrating on saxophone. After moving to Philadelphia, he continued studying music and began establishing himself as a professional performer.
Playing With Miles Davis
Coltrane gained widespread recognition while playing in trumpeter Miles Davis’s groups during the 1950s. He performed on landmark recordings including Kind of Blue, helping establish his reputation for intense improvisation and an increasingly distinctive approach to the saxophone.
Giant Steps
As a bandleader, Coltrane pushed jazz harmony in new directions. His album Giant Steps became especially famous for its demanding harmonic progressions, while the title composition became an important challenge and study piece for generations of jazz musicians.
A Love Supreme
Coltrane recorded A Love Supreme with his classic quartet in 1964. The four part suite combined his musical experimentation with a deeply spiritual purpose and became one of his most celebrated recordings and one of the best known albums in jazz.
A Lasting Influence
Coltrane died of liver cancer in 1967 at only 40 years old, but his influence continued to grow. His relentless musical exploration helped shape modern jazz, and he received a posthumous special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his masterful improvisation and importance to jazz history.
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