John Coltrane’s influence on jazz improvisation and composition is undeniable. He moved through three distinct periods of creation, so much so that one could say that his recorded output originates from three different people. His fanatical practice routines are stuff of legend. While his later works are often deemed “too out there” for serious consideration by critics, a church based on this music has been founded. While students to this day strive to “play the changes” of Giant Steps, once Coltrane could do it he basically moved on, never to perform it live (with a couple of minor exceptions).
Coltrane’s heroin addiction and subsequent religious conversion are also pretty well documented. Could it be said that these factors contributed to his output? There is no denying his contribution to jazz, but some think that these factors played no role in his musical development. What do you think…