John Coltrane was a jazz saxophonist from 1955 to 1967. He was born in Hamlet, North Carolina on September 23, 1926. A few years later he moved to Highpoint, North Carolina.(D) As a child he was surrounded by a musical family. When he turned thirteen he started to play the alto saxophone. 1939 was a life changing year for Coltrane because his father, uncle, and grandparents died.(C) In the middle of that same year he graduated from grammar school.(D) Sadly when his family started to split and go to different states Coltrane moved to Philadelphia in 1943.(C)
When he got to Philadelphia he bought his own alto saxophone.(A) Coltrane soon went to school at Ornstein School of Music.(E) He later was inducted into the navy in 1945 when the United States went into war. He was stationed in Hawaii. The next year he made a recording with a group of his fellow sailors. Shortly after the recording he was discharged. He decided to go back to Philadelphia. For the remainder of the year he played in the Joe Webb Band.(D) In 1947 he meet Miles Davis for the first time and performed with him a few times.(A) That same year he joined the King Kolax Band but only stayed with the band for one year. From 1948 to 1949 Coltrane played in the Jimmy Heath Band.(D) John Coltrane said he felt that Jimmy Heath and him were alike.(A)
The early 1950’s were another turning point in Coltrane’s life. He became addicted to heroin and it started in interrupt his career. In his last year with Dizzy Gillespie’s Band, in 1951, he made his first solo performance. The performance was to the song “We like to Boogie” with Gillespie. Later in 1954 he joined Johnny Hodges. He only played with Hodges for awhile before he was fired for his addiction to heroin. Miles Davis hire...
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...e a few different people that influenced Coltrane. Some of these people were Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, and Lester Young.(A) Coltrane inspired things other than music. He inspired sculptures and poetry.(B p. 160) His own style was known as “Sheets of Sound.”(C) His tone was known as rough and dark. He played fast and kelp the notes as close as possible.(B p.161) John Coltrane was the “most revolutionary and widely imitated saxophonist in jazz.(E)
Works Cited
“Coltrane on Coltrane.” Down Beat. Maher Publication, 29 Sep. 1960. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Gridley, Mark C. Concise Guide to Jazz. 6th ed. New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2010. 157-165. Print.
“John Coltrane.” 2013. The Biography Channel website. Nov. 17 2013, 04:04
“John Coltrane.” 2013. The Famous People website. Nov. 17 2013, 09:08
“John Coltrane.” PBS. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
In 1884, Joplin left home and traveled the Midwest for some time as an intinerant pianist playing in saloons and brothels. He settled in St. Louis a few years later and continued his studies. He found employment there in the city's prostitution district playing as a cafe pianist.
In 1892 John named his band "Sousa's New Marine Band". Needless to say, Washington was not pleased with the name and Sousa had to rename his band. He had a couple of great tours with the Marine Band but was convinced to go into the civilian sector to create another band.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
Kenton, Stan(ley Newcomb)." New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994.
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
Davis’ playing Incorporated many styles, from bop to modal fusion. Oftentimes Davis was the victim of negative criticism because of his adopting sometimes unpopular styles of music, but he is most respected for being one of a few jazz musicians who continually took the music to newer and more creative heights.
...d with in his lifetime, from Dizzy Gillespie to Art Blakey to John Coltrane. He played with everybody who was anybody! Another thing I found to be interesting was the way he died. He was shot by his common-law wife in the middle of a performance. This means that she was not officially, under any law binding terms, his wife, but for all intensive purposes, they were married. Then, one day she went crazy and shot his straight on stage shortly after an altercation had just occurred. She then ran to him and screamed that she didn’t mean to do it, and later was admitted to an insane asylum. That’s not the best way to die!
Jhon Coltrane and Miles Davis to be among his biggest influences in music. After playing
Edward Kennedy Ellington, American jazz composer, orchestrator, bandleader, and pianist, is considered to be the greatest composer in the history of jazz music and one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. He composed over 2000 works and performed numerous concerts during his musical career. A compilation of some of his most popular music is collected on a CD called "The Popular Duke Ellington." Ellington personally created most of the music played by his orchestra. He often wrote pieces for specific players with distinctive musical styles in his band, such as "Concerto for Cootie" (1940) for fellow musician and trumpeter, Cootie Williams. With the help of American trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley, Ellington often incorporated in his music the jungle effect.
The evolvement of jazz throughout the years has been an interesting one. Blues and Ragtime are just two simple innovations that has allowed for many variations in the jazz genre. Both of these genres have their similarities and differences in how they influenced jazz music through: improvisation, syncopation, and experimentation.
A single artist can have a very strong impact on a whole genre of music. We have seen this time and time again through artists such as Charlie Parker, David Brubeck, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and many others. All of these artists had tremendous influences on the different eras that evolved throughout the history of Jazz. Bill Evans, an American jazz pianist, was no different. Just as Charlie Parker had started the evolution of Bebop and influenced the subsequent generations of Jazz Artists, Bill Evans has influenced Modern Jazz and the generations of artists that followed him.
The influences of Jazz music came from African Americans and Europeans. The African American influences to jazz provided a call and response to jazz music.
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. His mother Daisy, surrounded Edward with her very polite friends which taught him to have respect and manners for people. After a while his friends started beginning to notice his politeness and his dapper style and gave him the nickname “duke.” When Ellington was seven years old he started taking piano lessons and found his love for music, although his love for baseball was more potent at the time. Ellington recalls President Roosevelt coming by on his horse at times and watching the boys play baseball. Ellington wound up getting his first job selling peanuts at baseball games. While working at the Soda Jerk in the Poodle Café in the summer of 1914, Ellington wrote his first composition and called the piece “Soda Fountain Rag”, he created it by ear because he had not yet learned how to write or read the music. Ellington recalls playing the “Soda Fountain Rag” as a one-step, two-step, waltz tango and fox trait, he said, “listeners never knew it was the same piece. I was established as having my own repertoire.” In Ellington’s autobiography, Music is my Mistress (1973), Ellington wrote about missing more piano lessons than he had attended because he felt that at the time playing piano wasn’t his talent and that he wasn’t very good at it. At the age of fourteen Ellington started sneaking into Frank Holiday's Poolroom. After hearing the poolro...
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
Jazz and drugs are often a mixture of destruction being that many musicians were associated with drugs like heroine, alcohol, and marijuana. (Jazz Culture, Pg,78) Drugs killed many musicians at a very young age. Paul Chambers of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania transformed the bass from outlining triads to playing intricate melodies. According to Frater, Jamie (July 8, 2009) He suffered from alcoholism, heroin addiction, and tuberculosis. ( Top 10 Jazz Artist Who Died Young, Lis)