John Coltrane

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer known for intense, searching improvisations and technical command of tenor and soprano saxophones. He rose to prominence in the 1950s with spells in bands led by Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, developed a style associated with bebop, hard bop and modal jazz, and later pursued freer, more spiritual forms of improvisation. Coltrane combined rapid, densely packed lines often described as sheets of sound with extended harmonic exploration, making him a central figure in mid 20th century jazz.