John Coltrane • Birdland 1962

 

John William Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. At the age of three his family moved to High Point, NC, where young Coltrane spent his early years. His father, John Robert Coltrane, died in 1939, leaving twelve year-old John and his mother on their own.

His mother, Alice Blair Coltrane, moved to New Jersey to work as a domestic while John completed high school. John played first the clarinet, then alto saxophone in his high school band. His first musical influence was the tenor saxophonist Lester Young of Count Basie's band. In June of 1943, after graduation, Coltrane moved to Philadelphia to be closer to his mother.

After a yearlong stint in the Navy (1945-46), Coltrane began playing gigs in and around Philadelphia. During this time he became involved in drug and alcohol use, vices that would follow him throughout his career and ultimately lead to his death.

In late 1949 Coltrane was invited to play alto sax with Dizzy Gillespie's band; the first recording session was on November 21 of that year. When the big band broke up in May of 1950 Coltrane moved to the tenor saxophone and played with Gillespie's small band until May of the next year. Coltrane played with Earl Bostic's group in 1952, switching to the band of his early idol Johnny Hodges in 1953.

Problems with drug and alcohol abuse, however, forced Coltrane out of the group in 1954. Miles Davis called upon Coltrane in the summer of 1955 to join a group he was forming. The Miles Davis quintet's first recording was made in October of 1955, the same month in which Coltrane was married to Naima Grubbs. The quintet was comprised of Davis on trumpet, Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on the drums. It was in his years with this quintet that Coltrane's abilities were truly recognized and appreciated.

In April 1957, though, Coltrane was again forced to take a break from playing to deal with his substance abuse problems; Davis replaced him with Sonny Rollins. He played briefly with Thelonious Monk in late 1957 before rejoining the Miles Davis quintet in January 1958. Coltrane played with this group until April 1960, when he set out to form his own group.

The John Coltrane quartet first formed in April of 1960 with Coltrane playing tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyler on piano, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Harrison on bass. It was during the first years of this group that Coltrane graduated from an above-average tenor saxophonist to an elite bandleader, composer, and improvisor. "My Favorite Things", the epic album featuring "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "Summertime", "But Not For Me", and the title track, was recorded in 1960. This was undoubtedly Coltrane's most successful and popular album, and granted him the commercial success that had eluded him thus far in his career.

Perhaps due to this success, Coltrane's approach to his music began to shift during 1961-62, moving towards a more experimental, improvisational style. This "free-jazz" alienated many of the fans Coltrane had collected after "My Favorite Things", but at the same time expanded the horizons and definition of jazz. Among the more popular recordings of the quartet in the following years were "Africa Brass" (1961), "Ballads" (1962), "A Love Supreme" (1964), and "Meditations" (1965), as well as concerts recorded at The Village Vanguard (NYC) in 1961 and at Birdland, also in New York, in 1963.

Coltrane's continuing desire to break new boundaries with his music, though, led to the end of the group in January 1966. During the mid-1960's the turmoil in Coltrane's professional life was mirrored by disruptions in his personal life. In the summer of 1963 he moved out of the house he shared with his wife, Naima, and moved in with Alice McLeod. Coltrane had met Alice, a pianist, in 1960, and they had been friends since then.

A son, John Coltrane Jr., was born to Coltrane and Alice on August 8, 1964; this was followed on August 6, 1965 by a second son, Ravi. A year later Coltrane divorced Naima and married Alice. A final son, Oran, was born to Coltrane and Alice on March 19, 1967. On July 17, 1967,

John Coltrane died due to complications arising from his years of alcohol and drug abuse.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/john-coltrane/

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John William Coltrane nació el 23 de septiembre de 1926 en Hamlet, Carolina del Norte. A la edad de tres años, su familia se mudó a High Point, Carolina del Norte, donde el joven Coltrane pasó sus primeros años. Su padre, John Robert Coltrane, murió en 1939, dejando solos a John, de doce años, y a su madre.

Su madre, Alice Blair Coltrane, se mudó a Nueva Jersey para trabajar como empleada doméstica mientras John completaba la escuela secundaria. John tocó primero el clarinete y luego el saxofón alto en la banda de su escuela secundaria. Su primera influencia musical fue el saxofonista tenor Lester Young de la banda de Count Basie. En junio de 1943, después de graduarse, Coltrane se mudó a Filadelfia para estar más cerca de su madre.

Después de un período de un año en la Marina (1945-46), Coltrane comenzó a tocar en Filadelfia y sus alrededores. Durante este tiempo se involucró en el consumo de drogas y alcohol, vicios que lo seguirían a lo largo de su carrera y finalmente lo llevarían a la muerte.

A finales de 1949 Coltrane fue invitado a tocar el saxo alto con la banda de Dizzy Gillespie; la primera sesión de grabación fue el 21 de noviembre de ese año. Cuando la big band se disolvió en mayo de 1950, Coltrane se pasó al saxofón tenor y tocó con la pequeña banda de Gillespie hasta mayo del año siguiente. Coltrane tocó con el grupo de Earl Bostic en 1952, cambiando a la banda de su ídolo Johnny Hodges en 1953.

Sin embargo, los problemas con el abuso de drogas y alcohol obligaron a Coltrane a abandonar el grupo en 1954. Miles Davis llamó a Coltrane en el verano de 1955 para unirse a un grupo que estaba formando. La primera grabación del quinteto de Miles Davis se realizó en octubre de 1955, el mismo mes en que Coltrane se casó con Naima Grubbs. El quinteto estaba compuesto por Davis a la trompeta, Coltrane al saxo tenor, Red Garland al piano, Paul Chambers al bajo y Philly Joe Jones a la batería. Fue en sus años con este quinteto que las habilidades de Coltrane fueron verdaderamente reconocidas y apreciadas.

Sin embargo, en abril de 1957, Coltrane se vio obligado nuevamente a dejar de tocar para lidiar con sus problemas de abuso de sustancias; Davis lo reemplazó con Sonny Rollins. Tocó brevemente con Thelonious Monk a fines de 1957 antes de reincorporarse al quinteto de Miles Davis en enero de 1958. Coltrane tocó con este grupo hasta abril de 1960, cuando se propuso formar su propio grupo.

El cuarteto John Coltrane se formó por primera vez en abril de 1960 con Coltrane tocando el saxofón tenor, McCoy Tyler al piano, Elvin Jones a la batería y Jimmy Harrison al bajo. Fue durante los primeros años de este grupo que Coltrane se graduó de saxofonista tenor por encima del promedio a líder de banda, compositor e improvisador de élite. "My Favorite Things", el álbum épico con "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "Summertime", "But Not For Me" y la canción principal, se grabó en 1960. Este fue sin duda el álbum más exitoso y popular de Coltrane, y le otorgó el éxito comercial que le había eludido hasta ahora en su carrera.

Quizás debido a este éxito, el enfoque de Coltrane hacia su música comenzó a cambiar durante 1961-62, moviéndose hacia un estilo más experimental e improvisado. Este " free-jazz "alienó a muchos de los fanáticos que Coltrane había reunido después de" My Favorite Things", pero al mismo tiempo amplió los horizontes y la definición del jazz. Entre las grabaciones más populares del cuarteto en los años siguientes se encuentran" Africa Brass " (1961)," Ballads " (1962)," A Love Supreme "(1964) y" Meditations " (1965), así como conciertos grabados en Village Vanguard (NYC) en 1961 y en Birdland, también en Nueva York, en 1963.

Sin embargo, el continuo deseo de Coltrane de romper nuevos límites con su música llevó al final del grupo en enero de 1966. A mediados de la década de 1960, la agitación en la vida profesional de Coltrane se reflejó en interrupciones en su vida personal. En el verano de 1963 se mudó de la casa que compartía con su esposa, Naima, y se mudó con Alice McLeod. Coltrane había conocido a Alice, pianista, en 1960, y habían sido amigos desde entonces.

Un hijo, John Coltrane Jr., nació de Coltrane y Alice el 8 de agosto de 1964; a esto le siguió el 6 de agosto de 1965 un segundo hijo, Ravi. Un año después, Coltrane se divorció de Naima y se casó con Alice. Un último hijo, Oran, nació de Coltrane y Alice el 19 de marzo de 1967. El 17 de julio de 1967,

John Coltrane murió debido a complicaciones derivadas de sus años de abuso de alcohol y drogas.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/john-coltrane/

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Tracks:
1 - Mr P.C. (February 9th)
2 - Miles' Mode (Red Planet) (February 9th)
3 - My Favourite Things (February 9th)
4 - Announcement by Symphony Sid Torin (February 16th)
5 - The Inchworm (February 16th)
6 - Mr P.C. (February 16th)
7 - Announcement by Symphony Sid Torin (February 16th)
8 - My Favourite Things (February 16th)

2022 Obiterdictum Ltd

 

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