John Coltrane expanded how we hear music. He took the light and airy Broadway show tune “My Favorite Things” and turned it (with soprano saxophone) into a dark, driving, melodic, polyrhythmic tour de force. Many traditional jazz listeners were unable to follow the path his musical trajectory left toward the end of his life, as his sonic palette kept expanding. But 50 years later we can hear more, and we stand amazed at the depth and sophistication of Coltrane’s music. Coltrane, whose career began in Philadelphia, had a tremendous impact on generations of musicians, but even more significantly, his music influenced culture. “Alabama” and “A Love Supreme” delivered potent social messages about race and spirituality. Writers looked to him, directors used his music in countless films, and artists painted and sculpted to his music. Businesses study his improvisations in team-building and creativity exercises. John William Coltrane would have been 90 years old on September 23rd. WRTI, the
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