Why John Coltrane’s short life left an enduring mark on jazz

In the world of jazz, the name John Coltrane inspires reverence. He forged a path from drug addiction to artistic and spiritual transcendence, cementing his reputation through his trademark "sheets of sound" and a lifelong search for universal truth. By the time he died aged 40 in 1967, he had left a legacy few musicians could rival. "The music of John Coltrane has become a key pillar in the language and aesthetic of jazz," says Eric Ajaye, presenter of Jazz Legends on ABC Jazz. To mark the centenary of Coltrane's birth on September 23, 1926, Ajaye follows Trane's journey from "just another tenor saxophonist" to one of the most mythical figures in Jazz's history. In just over a decade, Coltrane became a leading figure in the artistic movement that characterised the 1960s. Developing his signature 'sheets of sound' Trane's first horn was the clarinet, an instrument he quickly mastered as a teenager growing up in North Carolina, according to Ajaye. To avoid being conscripted during World War II, he enlisted in the navy, where the "top brass" quickly drafted him into one of Pearl Harbor's swing bands. In 1945, Coltrane met bebop legend Charlie "Bird" Parker, whose main instrument was the alto saxophone. "Bird hit me right between the eyes," he would later claim. To avoid competition, Trane settled on the tenor sax while Bird reigned supreme on the alto sax. Coltrane also became obsessive about his practice routine, known in jazz as "shedding". "In the late '40s and early '50s, Trane's shedding habits were the talk of the town," Ajaye says. "Fellow sax player Jimmy Heath even famously remarked that Coltrane would practice 25 hours a day." When coupled with his heroin and sugar addiction, Trane's habit became destructive. But the rigorous practise also laid the foundation for Trane's signature "sheets of sound", a playing technique Ajaye describes as "an unrelenting waterfall of notes in a tone that was full and fiery". In other words, he could play a lot of notes very quickly. Coltrane developed and perfected the technique with two of his most influential collaborators: Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. The collaborations that forged John Coltrane When Coltrane auditioned for Miles Davis's new quintet in 1955, "the trumpeter wasn't expecting to be blown away", Ajaye says, despite Davis having a reputation for spotting "diamonds in the rough". Under Davis, Coltrane's musicianship blossomed. Although Davis was the yin to Coltrane's yang, the pair's relationship was also marked by drug abuse and violence. Davis fired Trane twice, including after an incident in 1956 in which he physically struck him, before being stopped by pianist Thelonious Monk. Later that year, Trane accepted an offer to collaborate with Monk throughout 1957, while also releasing his debut solo album. Trane kicked his drug addiction in 1957, while his first wife, Naima, converted to Islam. The process marked a spiritual awakening for Coltrane, and he refocused on his musicianship, "seeking to completely immerse himself in the saxophone like it was a form of baptism," Ajaye says. He rejoined Davis's band in 1958 and played a pivotal role in the recording of Davis's seminal album Kind of Blue. The journey to A Love Supreme During the final decade of his life, Trane became a mystical and philosophical leader as well as an accomplished avant-garde musician. He released some of his most influential albums under his own name, including Blue Train, Giant Steps and A Love Supreme. He also established a harmonic approach that became known as the "Coltrane changes". Ajaye explains what this is: "Popular songs, generally speaking, are centred around a single key, which dictates the chords that can be used within the key. Coltrane, however, [substituted] a tune's chords with similar sounding harmony that allowed him to bridge or jump to different keys." Giant Steps, which Ajaye calls "a musical maze of a song", contains numerous key changes and an extremely fast tempo. "In Giant Steps, his sheets of sound are put to the ultimate musical test," Ajaye says. Trane later swapped his tenor horn for a higher-sounding soprano saxophone, which he said, "was actually so much closer to me in my ear" and assembled a band that became known as the "Classic Quartet". Comprising Coltrane on saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums, the players "had that fire in their playing, as well as a devotion to Coltrane's ideas of pushing the boundaries", Ajaye explains. Coltrane also signed with Impulse!, a recording house that became known for showcasing jazz that was fearless, bold and new. The Classic Quartet showed Coltrane at the height of his powers, culminating in the release of one of jazz's best-selling albums of all time, A Love Supreme, in 1965. The album marked Coltrane's "ultimate expression of his faith through music", Ajaye says. "It's one of the most honest musical performances put to tape, with a beauty and appeal that is timeless," jazz historian Michael Cuscuna says in the album's reissue notes. For Ajaye, the album's power extends beyond the music itself. He remembers the visceral feeling of holding a physical copy of the record, which he owns on vinyl. "This is a record made at a time when the concept of an album was still a critical and cultural foundation in art," he says. Nowadays, it takes more than music to sustain audience's attention. But with A Love Supreme, Ajaye says, "all you need is the words, the cover, and the music. "Because the audience Coltrane was after was you". While A Love Supreme was not Coltrane's final album, it marked the end of an era. The Classic Quartet was disbanded soon after its release. Beyond Jazz's shackles In the final years of his life, Coltrane continued searching for universal truths through several spiritual and religious traditions. His music became increasingly experimental as he "continued to free himself of jazz's shackles." He moved in completely new directions through "ambitious sessions like Ascension, Om, and his final LP, Expression", Ajaye says. Coltrane died of liver cancer. The news shocked many in the jazz community, as only a handful of people knew of his illness. His erstwhile bandleader Davis famously said: "Coltrane's death took everyone by surprise. I knew he hadn't looked too good, but I didn't know he was that sick, or even sick at all." Coltrane left a pioneering legacy that continues to shape jazz musicians today, including American saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Kamasi Washington, among others. As Ajaye argues, Coltrane's belief that "the saxophone, harmony, and improvisation became merely vehicles in a quest to better oneself in seeking enlightenment" remains central to his enduring influence.