ENDEIT
John Coltrane
Photo: Gelderen, Hugo van / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Saxophonists · 1926–1967

John Coltrane

American jazz saxophonist (1926–1967)

Born
23 September 1926
Hamlet
Died
17 July 1967
New York City
Country
United States
Active
1945–1967
Record labels
Blue Note, Atlantic Records, Prestige, Impulse!, ABC Records
Discography
48 albums

Biography

John Coltrane was a jazz musician who played saxophone, clarinet, tenor saxophone and alto saxophone. John Coltrane was born on 23 September 1926 in Hamlet and died on 17 July 1967 in New York City. The music is usually filed under jazz, post-bop and free jazz. Record labels: Blue Note, Atlantic Records, Prestige and Impulse!. The discography here lists 48 albums, from “Coltrane” (1957) to “The Tiberi Tapes” (2026). Honours include Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1992), Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards (2007) and World War II Victory Medal.

John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raised in North Carolina, Coltrane moved to Philadelphia after high school, where he immersed himself in the local jazz scene, studied music, and served in the Navy toward the end of World War II before making his professional debut in 1945. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes and was one of the players at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions and appeared on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Coltrane 1957 · Prestige Blue Train 1958 · Blue Note John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio 1958 · Prestige Soultrane 1958 · Prestige Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette 1959 · Prestige The Ray Draper Quintet featuring John Coltrane 1959 · New Jazz Giant Steps 1960 · Atlantic Coltrane Jazz 1961 · Atlantic High Pressure 1961 · Prestige Lush Life 1961 · Prestige My Favorite Things 1961 · Atlantic Olé Coltrane 1961 · Atlantic Settin’ the Pace 1961 · Prestige Coltrane Plays the Blues 1962 · Atlantic Dig It! 1962 · Prestige Standard Coltrane 1962 · Prestige Dakar 1963 · Prestige Impressions 1963 · impulse! John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman 1963 · impulse! Stardust 1963 · Prestige Black Pearls 1964 · Prestige Coltrane’s Sound 1964 · Atlantic The Believer 1964 · Prestige A Love Supreme 1965 · impulse!
Ascension 1965 · impulse!
Bahia 1965 · Stateside New Thing at Newport 1965 · Live · impulse! The Last Trane 1965 · Prestige Meditations 1966 · impulse! The Avant-Garde 1966 · Atlantic Expression 1967 · impulse! Kulu Sé Mama 1967 · impulse!
Om 1967 · impulse!
Cosmic Music 1968 · Coltrane Records Selflessness, Featuring My Favorite Things 1968 · impulse! Transition 1970 · impulse!
Live in Seattle 1971 · Live
Sun Ship 1971 · impulse! Infinity 1972 · impulse! Interstellar Space 1974 · impulse!
Live at Birdland 1976 · Live
First Meditations (For Quartet) 1977 · impulse!
On Stage 1962 1987 · Live
Stellar Regions 1995 · impulse! Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album 2018 · impulse!
Evenings at the Village Gate 2023 · Live
The Tiberi Tapes 2026 · Live · impulse!
Hooray for John Coltrane & Gene Ammons · Live

Also plays on

Albums where John Coltrane is credited as a sideman

1953 Earl Bostic and his Alto Sax — Earl Bostic tenor saxophone
1956 The Champ — Dizzy Gillespie alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
1956 Chambers’ Music — Paul Chambers tenor saxophone
1956 For You — Earl Bostic tenor saxophone
1957 ’Round About Midnight — Miles Davis tenor saxophone
1957 School Days — Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson & Joe Carroll alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
1957 Thelonious Himself — Thelonious Monk tenor saxophone
1957 Tenor Conclave — Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims tenor saxophone
1957 Mating Call — Tadd Dameron with John Coltrane tenor saxophone
1957 Mal/2 — Mal Waldron with Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman, Sahib Shihab, and Bill Hardman tenor saxophone
1957 Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors — Idrees Sulieman, Webster Young, John Coltrane & Bobby Jaspar with Mal Waldron, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers & Art Taylor tenor saxophone
1957 A Blowin' Session — Johnny Griffin tenor saxophone
1957 Taylor's Wailers — Art Taylor tenor saxophone
1957 Dance Time — Earl Bostic And His Alto Sax tenor saxophone
1958 Milestones — Miles Davis tenor saxophone
1958 Legrand Jazz — Michel Legrand tenor saxophone
1958 Wheelin’ & Dealin’ — Frank Wess / John Coltrane / Paul Quinichette / Mal Waldron / Doug Watkins / Arthur Taylor tenor saxophone
1958 Winner’s Circle — Oscar Pettiford & The Winner’s Circle musicians tenor saxophone
1958 Modern Jazz Survey 2 / Baritones & French Horns — Pepper Adams, Cecil Payne, Julius Watkins, Dave Amram tenor saxophone
1958 Sonny’s Crib — Sonny Clark tenor saxophone
1959 Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants — Miles Davis tenor saxophone
1959 Kind of Blue — Miles Davis tenor saxophone
1959 The Cats — Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell & Idrees Sulieman tenor saxophone
1959 New York N.Y. — George Russell tenor saxophone
1961 Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane — Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane tenor saxophone
1961 Bags & Trane — Milt Jackson & John Coltrane tenor saxophone
1963 Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane — Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane tenor saxophone
1964 Four for Trane — Archie Shepp producer
1965 The Dealers — Mal Waldron with John Coltrane / Jackie McLean / Paul Quinichette / Frank Wess tenor saxophone
1989 Straight No Chaser — Thelonious Monk tenor saxophone

Standards written by John Coltrane

TitleKeyFormGroove
Giant Steps E♭ major A · 16 Up-tempo swing
Naima A♭ major AABAA · 29 Ballad
Impressions D minor AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Moment's Notice E♭ major AA · 37 Up-tempo swing
Countdown B♭ major A · 24 Up-tempo swing
Mr. P.C. C minor A · 12 Up-tempo swing
Equinox C♯ minor A · 12 Slow swing
Central Park West B major A · 10 Ballad
Spiral B minor AABA · 44 Medium-up swing
Lazy Bird G major AABAA · 43 Up-tempo swing
Lonnie's Lament C minor AB · 16 Slow swing
26-2 F major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
Satellite G major BACA · 36 Up-tempo swing
Like Sonny E♭ major ABA · 24 Bossa nova
Bessie's Blues E♭ major A · 12 Up-tempo swing
Dear Lord D major AB · 64 Medium swing
Trane’s Blues B♭ major A · 12 Medium swing
Cousin Mary A♭ major A · 12 Medium-up swing
Some Other Blues F major A · 12 Medium-up swing
Straight Street E♭ minor AABA · 48 Up-tempo swing
Locomotion B♭ major AABA · 58 Up-tempo swing
Big Nick G major A · 8 Medium slow
Chasin' The Trane F major A · 12 Up-tempo swing
Grand Central B♭ minor AABA · 36 Up-tempo swing

Analysed solos by John Coltrane

  • Nature Boytenor saxophone · 186 BPM · E-min · 18.02.1963
  • Trane's Bluestenor saxophone · 165 BPM · Bb-maj · 1956-05-11
  • Blues by Fivetenor saxophone · 177 BPM · Bb-maj · 1956-10-26
  • Oleotenor saxophone · 266 BPM · Bb-maj · 1956-10-26
  • Soultranetenor saxophone · 82 BPM · Eb-maj · 1956-11-30
  • Blue Traintenor saxophone · 141 BPM · Eb-maj · 1957-09-15
  • Giant Stepstenor saxophone · 290 BPM · Eb-maj · 1959
  • Giant Stepstenor saxophone · 299 BPM · Eb-maj · 1959
  • So Whattenor saxophone · 142 BPM · D-maj · 1959-03-02
  • Countdowntenor saxophone · 338 BPM · Bb-maj · 1959-05-04
  • Mr. P.C.tenor saxophone · 258 BPM · C-min · 1959-05-04
  • My Favorite Thingssoprano saxophone · 179 BPM · E-min · 1960-10-21
  • My Favorite Thingssoprano saxophone · 179 BPM · E-maj · 1960-10-21
  • 26-2tenor saxophone · 195 BPM · F-maj · 1960-10-24
  • Body and Soul (Alternate Take)tenor saxophone · 138 BPM · Db-maj · 1960-10-24
  • Body and Soultenor saxophone · 142 BPM · Db-maj · 1960-10-24
  • Impressions (1961)tenor saxophone · 293 BPM · D-min · 1961-11-05
  • Impressions (1963)tenor saxophone · 279 BPM · D-min · 1963-10-22
  • Bessie's Bluestenor saxophone · 184 BPM · Eb-maj · 27.04, 01.06.1964
  • Nuttytenor saxophone · 138 BPM · Bb-maj · June/July 1957

Awards

Historic 78 rpm records

  • Tin Tin Daeo Dizzy Gillespie · Milt Jackson · John Coltrane · Kenny Burrell ·… · 1951 archive.org ↗

Books about John Coltrane

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did John Coltrane play?

John Coltrane is known for playing saxophone, clarinet, tenor saxophone and alto saxophone.

When and where was John Coltrane born?

John Coltrane was born 23 September 1926 in Hamlet.

What are John Coltrane's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Coltrane (1957), Blue Train (1958), John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio (1958), Soultrane (1958) and Cattin’ with Coltrane and Quinichette (1959).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.