John Coltrane

John Coltrane (1926-1967) was a saxophonist and composer from North Carolina who became one of the most influential figures in jazz history. He grew up playing in the Philadelphia scene and went on to work across bebop, hard bop, modal jazz, and free jazz over the course of his career. His recordings pushed the harmonic and expressive limits of the saxophone in ways that still shape how jazz musicians think about the instrument.