John Coltrane
John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer whose innovative work in the 1950s and 60s helped define modern jazz.
His albums *A Love Supreme* and *Giant Steps* are considered landmarks.
Coltrane's name often appears as shorthand for musical virtuosity and spiritual intensity: He's no Coltrane, but he can play.
Fast, complex jazz style
- hard bopFunky post-bebop jazz style
- free jazzFormless avant-garde improvisation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- fusionJoining into unity
ballad · standards · quartet · quintet · composition · melody · rhythm · solo
Landmark spiritual jazz album
- Giant StepsEnormous forward progress
- My Favorite ThingsOne's preferred items collectively
- MeditationsStoic emperor's personal writings
Landmark spiritual jazz album
- meditationFocused attention practice
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
prayer · seeking · pilgrimage · consciousness · cosmic · divine · sacred · mantra
Essential meaning or import
- sopranoHighest female voice range
- altoLower female voice
- reedVibrating sliver for woodwinds
- mouthpieceOne who speaks officially
embouchure · tone · overblowing · circular breathing · phrasing · arpeggios · runs · honking
Acting without forethought
- solosSingle-performer pieces
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- extemporizationUnrehearsed spontaneous performance
- variationChange from a norm
motif · ornamentation · interplay · call and response · chromaticism · sequences · patterns · freedom
Pictorial screen symbol
- influencePower to affect others
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- virtuosoSupremely accomplished performer
- masterAuthority or controller
giant · trailblazer · disciple · tribute · Miles Davis · Thelonious Monk
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentationSystematic testing of ideas
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- pioneeringFirst to explore territory
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
Harmonic transitions in music
- modulationVarying signals to transmit
- substitutionExchange of one for another
- tritoneSix-semitone musical interval
- voicingExpressing aloud
interval · tension · resolution · tonality · chromaticism · polytonality
bebop
Fast, complex jazz style
- hard bopFunky post-bebop jazz style
- free jazzFormless avant-garde improvisation
- swingSuspended recreational seat
fusion · ballad · standards · quartet · quintet · composition · melody · rhythm · solo · concert
A Love Supreme
Landmark spiritual jazz album
- Giant StepsEnormous forward progress
- My Favorite ThingsOne's preferred items collectively
- MeditationsStoic emperor's personal writings
A Love Supreme
Landmark spiritual jazz album
- meditationFocused attention practice
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
awakening · prayer · seeking · pilgrimage · consciousness · cosmic · divine · sacred · mantra · soulfulness
tenor
Essential meaning or import
mouthpiece · embouchure · tone · overblowing · circular breathing · phrasing · arpeggios · runs · honking · wailing
spontaneity
Acting without forethought
- solosSingle-performer pieces
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- extemporizationUnrehearsed spontaneous performance
variation · motif · ornamentation · interplay · call and response · chromaticism · sequences · patterns · freedom · intensity
icon
Pictorial screen symbol
- influencePower to affect others
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- virtuosoSupremely accomplished performer
master · giant · trailblazer · disciple · tribute · Miles Davis · Thelonious Monk
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentationSystematic testing of ideas
- boundary-pushingExceeding accepted limits
- pioneeringFirst to explore territory
chord changes
Harmonic transitions in music
- modulationVarying signals to transmit
- substitutionExchange of one for another
- tritoneSix-semitone musical interval
voicing · interval · tension · resolution · tonality · chromaticism · polytonality
- Black MusiciansAretha Franklin, Beyonce, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder
- jazzbebop, swing era, hard bop, soul jazz, cool jazz
- SaxophonistsCharlie Parker, Stan Getz, Kenny G
- Jazz ArtistsMiles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker
- North CaroliniansAndrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, James K. Polk, Billy Graham, Michael Jordan
- Free Jazzfree jazz, freeform, atonality, overblowing, dissonance
John ColtraneChet Baker
Kenny G · smooth jazz · easy listening · muzak · elevator music
John ColtraneMiles Davis
Chet Baker · emotional restraint · understatement · lounge music · background music