John Coltrane (1926-1967) has influenced numerous musicians and remains one of the most significant sax players in music history. Although he only reached the age of forty before his untimely demise, "Trane" was a music legend whose significant contributions to jazz could never be overlooked. The influence Coltrane has had on music spans many genres and musicians. Coltrane's massive influence on jazz, both mainstream and avant-garde, began during his lifetime and continued to grow long after his death. He is one of the most dominant influences on post-1960 jazz saxophonists and has inspired an entire generation of jazz musicians. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the incorporation of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free form and advent-garde jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk. This book documents this music genius's entire musical history including his sessions and recordings in painstaking detail. Complete with all pertinent information dating back to his first recordings at the young age of seventeen. "There is never any end . . . There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we've discovered in its pure state" ............ John Coltrane