John William Coltrane, also known as Trane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. Born: September 23, 1926, Hamlet, NC Died: July 17, 1967, Huntington, Huntington, NY Coltrane died from liver cancer at Huntington Hospital on Long Island on July 17, 1967, at the age of 40. His funeral was held four days later at St. Peters Lutheran Church in New York City. The service was opened by the Albert Ayler Quartet and closed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet. Coltrane is buried at Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York. The biographer Lewis Porter has suggested that the cause of Coltranes illness was hepatitis, although he also attributed the disease to Coltranes heroin use. In a 1968 interview Ayler claimed that Coltrane was consulting a Hindu meditative healer for his illness instead of Western medicine, although Alice Coltrane later denied this. Coltranes death surprised many in the musical community who were not aware of his condition. Davis said that Coltranes death shocked everyone, took everyone by surprise. I knew he hadnt looked too good... But I didnt know he was that sick—or even sick at all.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 18:19:50 +0000
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