Step back in time with us as we honor the legendary John Coltrane, tracing his journey from the deep roots of North Carolina to the pinnacle of jazz history. His story isn't just about notes and rhythms; it's a saga of personal loss, relentless dedication, and redemption through music. As we unpack his early days, battling financial hardship and the loss of his father, we see the seeds of greatness that would sprout into a career marked by both genius and struggle. Experience, through Coltrane's eyes, the power of Count Basie's influence and the wartime interruption that could have silenced his saxophone forever—but instead, forged the mettle of a maestro.
The narrative takes a turn into the shadowy corners of addiction that ensnared many a jazz icon, including Coltrane himself. We'll confront the harsh realities and creative paradoxes of substance abuse in the 60s jazz scene, examining the tightrope walked by Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. Beyond the pain and the pitfalls, discover how Coltrane's battle with heroin transformed his music, leading to soul-stirring triumphs like his rendition of "My Favorite Things." Then, prepare to delve into the chameleon-like career of Miles Davis, whose endless reinvention and raw talent redefined jazz. Our exploration leaves you poised for the next episode where we'll continue to unravel the enigma of Davis's legacy, reflecting on the indelible impact these giants have left on the world of music.
Step back in time with us as we honor the legendary John Coltrane, tracing his journey from the deep roots of North Carolina to the pinnacle of jazz history. His story isn't just about notes and rhythms; it's a saga of personal loss, relentless dedication, and redemption through music. As we unpack his early days, battling financial hardship and the loss of his father, we see the seeds of greatness that would sprout into a career marked by both genius and struggle. Experience, through Coltrane's eyes, the power of Count Basie's influence and the wartime interruption that could have silenced his saxophone forever—but instead, forged the mettle of a maestro.
The narrative takes a turn into the shadowy corners of addiction that ensnared many a jazz icon, including Coltrane himself. We'll confront the harsh realities and creative paradoxes of substance abuse in the 60s jazz scene, examining the tightrope walked by Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. Beyond the pain and the pitfalls, discover how Coltrane's battle with heroin transformed his music, leading to soul-stirring triumphs like his rendition of "My Favorite Things." Then, prepare to delve into the chameleon-like career of Miles Davis, whose endless reinvention and raw talent redefined jazz. Our exploration leaves you poised for the next episode where we'll continue to unravel the enigma of Davis's legacy, reflecting on the indelible impact these giants have left on the world of music.
Good evening everybody. Harriet Westmore with the More Wine and Music podcast, the podcast where I discuss different genres of music American music over a glass of wine, one of my favorite jazz artists of all time, the great saxophonist John Coltrane. So stay tuned. All right, once again, welcome, welcome Saturday night. I'm sorry I didn't come on last night. I wanted to finish up some of my content before I went on live, so I wanted to give myself an extra time to talk about one of my favorite jazz artists, john Coltrane. Before I get into it, I wanted to please hit that like, share and subscribe to the More Wine and Music podcast. Go on wwwmorewineandmusiccom. Also, I'm going to be creating another T-shirt for the jazz for season two, so stay tuned for that and thatane. One of the greatest famous jazz artists, saxophone player of all time, mr John Coltrane. I just like the name Coltrane.
Speaker 1:
John William Coltrane was born on September 23rd of 1926 in a little small town outside of High Point, north Carolina, which was called Hamlet, north Carolina. His father was named John Robert Coltrane, who was a tailor by trade, but he was also a musician. He loved music, he loved instruments, so he would have a lot of instruments around the house. Coltrane was a homemaker. The family lived in Hamlet, north Carolina, until he was around the age of three and the family actually moved into the city of High Point. High Point I used to live in North Carolina, I used to live in Charlotte, but I also am familiar with the High Point, greensboro and Winston-Salem area, and so I mean High Point is a fairly mid-sized city. It's not large like Charlotte or even Greensboro, but it is a mid-sized city. It is a mid-sized city While John and his family it doesn't say if he had any siblings or not, so I think he was like the only child of them between his parents. So most of his childhood was spent in High Point. However, in 1939, by the time he was 12 years old, he lost his father and instead several other relatives. So I don't know exactly what happened. I don't know if there was some kind of accident. I couldn't find out exactly what was the source of his father's death, but he died in 1939, and that left his mother and him pretty much struggling from that point, because his father was actually the bread. So they piddled around in High Point for a while, but then his mother, alice, and some of the relatives decided to move north. So they moved north, I think around in Philadelphia, but John stayed in North Carolina because he wanted to finish school, so they allowed him to stay in North Carolina. He probably stayed with other family members while he finished his education and once he did that then he moved north Actually his mother and some of her relatives, they actually moved to New Jersey.
Speaker 1:
But when John graduated from high school he decided to move to Philadelphia and so his early influence of music he gravitated to the sound of Count Basie. Count Basie was another famous jazz, early jazz artist and so he gravitated to his style of music and he wanted to. That was pretty much the influence of him wanting to play, and so he played and wanted to learn more about music. And so he, while in Philadelphia, he went to the school of Ornstein School of Music in Philadelphia and this was around in the early 40s, and unfortunately he wasn't able to complete his studies of music because duty calls, duty calls. He had to enlist into the service because this was during the time of World War II. So and he enlisted into the Navy. But while he was in the Navy he actually got together with some you know his fellow sailmates, sailor mates not sailmates. But you know his other fellows that was in the Navy with him and they formed a quartet. So he was still able to play you know music. But you know again, he had to serve you know his serve, serve his country. He was served and he served it.
Speaker 1:
He was in the in the Navy for about three years and after he got out he was discharged in 1946. He went back to Philadelphia and he continued his study. This time he went to what was called the, the Granoff School of Music. It was another school. He didn't finish it, his studies at the original Ornstein School of Music. He went to another school and while going to school he was able to get some small time gigs around the city and he played with several local bands.
Speaker 1:
With that he became a part of a band with the leader of, eddie Cleanhead Vincent. I've never I've heard of him in one of my blues documentaries. I've heard when I was doing some research in my blues documentaries I've heard of Eddie Cleanhead Vincent. He was a famous bandleader, a famous musician up in the St Louis to Philadelphia area. So he was one of those. He was part of the era that brought the blues and the jazz music into more of like the show tunes, like, as we talked about beforehand, Big Joe Turner. He was part of that era and I think, matter of fact, he might have played with Big Joe Turner back in the day. So Clean Head Vincent, eddie Clean Head Vincent, was a part of that era and brought that blues in a more sophisticated style and this was the opportunity that John Coltrane was able to gravitate to. He also played with Jimmy Heath in 1949. And in this particular band he was able to use his creativity. This is how he started to hone his inability to be himself as a saxophone player. And actually Coltrane was a tenor saxophone player where we talked about last week with Charlie Parker. Charlie was an alto sax, so Coltrane was a tenor sax.
Speaker 1:
After playing with John Heath, after playing with John Heath for a little bit, he was able to meet up with the famous Dizzy Gillespie and once he got connected with Dizzy Gillespie, this is when he started to become more and more noticeable. John Coltrane he's one. Like I said, he's one of my favorites is because his style of playing is just. It touches you deep. If you listen to, you can go back and YouTube a lot of his music. If you listen to. You can go back and YouTube a lot of his music. His style of playing was actually it does, it touches you and you can feel, whatever mood you're in, his playing kind of you know, it kind of hits you. I can't explain it. I can't explain it. I can't explain it. If you're, you know, as a jazz lover or as a musician, you kind of understand. When I'm a music lover, you understand what I'm talking about. But you know, again, as he started playing with Dizzy Gillespie and became more popular, also became other issues, one of which the main issue was drugs.
Speaker 1:
Reading about his biography and about him, his story is kind of parallel with Charlie Parker. If you can recall, last week I talked about Bird Parker. Both were very great musicians, both very talented, but they both had a demon of drugs. Not to say they were the only two, a lot of them did. But both of them, they both their drug habit was, you know, to the point that they had to. It took over their life pretty much. And Coltrane was basically the same way. His drug of choice, as was Bird Parker, was heroin. So, and not only that, he was also an alcoholic, he drank heavily. You know not many people didn't know that part. They knew that he was, you know, a drug user, but they didn't also didn't realize, didn't really know that he's also an alcoholic and on top of that he loved to eat. He was very a glutton for food. Those combinations, and getting famous and getting the fame, getting the recognition, that was probably too overwhelming. It eventually took its toll.
Speaker 1:
I see an opinion, a question In your opinion, was the music better before or after the alcohol and drugs? That's a good question. In your opinion, was the music better before or after the alcohol and drugs? That's a good question. That's a good question, because some might say, depending on who you ask, no-transcript. That would be my personal choice. But certain amount of drugs you're able to you. I'm going to be talking about in my next season of music drama is the classic of the 60s, so you know you could say that, but at the same time, using drugs, it also you can't perform your best either because you're, you know, chasing that high and which would happen, you know, is that you're ending up being bad as far as performance.
Speaker 1:
It could ruin your performance and your practices, which exactly what happened with Coltrane. I mean, he would miss rehearsals, he would miss shows, you know. And it got so bad to where, unfortunately, dizzy Gillespie had to. You know, he had to get, he was fired. He was a great, great musician, a great musician.
Speaker 1:
But of course, you know, when you're, you know, inhibited by drugs and alcohol, you can't be your best. So I mean, on one hand, a lot of people we say well, especially the acid. If you take acid, it takes you to another level, to where you know you can go deep and really bring out that creativity. But on the other hand, you're so spaced out to where you just, you know, you're not in tune with everybody else. So, and and personally, I can't see where heroin, you know, the use of heroin, or snorting cocaine, can actually enhance you. That's just my personal opinion. I'm never, you know, was on drugs or anything like that. So I can't, you know, I can't see that. But I, you know. As far as psychedelic drugs, you know I've never tried it either, but you know, there's always been people who talked about how they was able to perform better and be more creative when you're on acid and be more creative when you're on acid. But, like I said, we're getting into the 60s and I'll be talking about that later.
Speaker 1:
So again, like Dizzy, had to let John Coltrane go out of his band because again he was. You know that heroin overtook him, not to mention the eating habits Well, not the eating habits, that was bad enough, but that you know but it was the heroin and the drinking. It became an issue. So once he was let go by Dizzy Gillespie's band, john Coltrane, john Coltrane he decided to kind of sit back and kind of reflect on what he was doing and try to get himself clean. So he, you know, eventually tried to that he was sober and clean. He met up with another great horn player and that was Miles Davis. Miles Davis asked him to become a part of his quartet and this is where John was able to kind of push himself again to use his creativity and to be who he wanted to be as far as expressing himself in music. And so he played. Actually he played on Miles Davis's album Kind of Blue, and that was in 1959.
Speaker 1:
But once again his old past demon crept up on him and he relapsed back into using heroin. So again it became an issue for him, to where Miles Davis had to get rid of him, which I find it kind of ironic because Miles Davis himself had drug issues. I don't think it was. I don't know if it was heroin. I forgot because I did read about his autobiography. I don't know if it was heroin, I think his thing was more cocaine and all that, but still, you know it was a problem to where you know Miles had to. You know, look, I can't. You know, you can't do this, not in my band.
Speaker 1:
And anybody who knows Miles Davis and knows his history and knows him as a you know how he was as an individual. He was a no-nonsense person and I don't think I've ever seen him actually smile Any of the like I said a lot of the stuff. I get off of YouTube and seen his interviews or whatever he was like I don't know, I don't know. He always looked like he was mad all the time. I don't think he was. It's just that he just had that personality to where he was just hard, hard. He was a hard person to get along with, I don't know, but anyway, but he did recognize talent when he, when he saw it and you know, like I said, he he recognized, he knew that um Coltrane was a very talented you know man and wanted to help him and wanted to, you know, have him in his group and everything, but again his drug use just overtook him.
Speaker 1:
So I think at one point Miles Davis, john Coltrane and actually Charlie Parker, they actually played together. So imagine that combination, that combination itself is you can't help but to hear great music out of those three because they were one of the greatest players in the jazz genre. But each of them had their own demons. And so you know, and it was said after when Miles fired John, this was the pivotal point of Coltrane's life that where he actually turned himself around to get clean you know, if you're getting kicked out of Miles Davis's band, then you know he decided he had, he, he got to get himself together. He has to. So he eventually kicked that heroin habit and so heroin habit, and so after that he became innovative and this was going into the 60s. So he got himself clean and so he created his own, he reinvented himself and created his own band and he actually became a success.
Speaker 1:
One of the main songs and everybody knows from John Coltrane was the rendition of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune, my Favorite Things. And listening to him play that that kind of took him to the top of his playing, because everybody was just mesmerized of how he played, even when he started to play overseas into Europe. They just loved how he played in his you know how deep his playing you know was. So his comeback with the my Favorite Things these are my favorite things. He made a great album called Giant Steps and this was the album that he actually wrote all his material. He had all the creative producing, he wrote everything and he played. I mean, everything was you know him. There were no outside influences or anything. He was able to be who he actually wanted to be and obviously he's a deep. He was a deep thinker. I mean you can just listen to his sound of his playing. I mean he could tell that he was deep. So that, and in the 60s, that was when his songs, I mean his style of playing, really was innovative and I think you know, when you listen to his stuff, not you know how it was in the 60s, I mean it really was in tune with what was going on during the 60s. And so, yeah, you know he was doing great. He was doing great.
Speaker 1:
Unfortunately, he developed liver cancer and he unfortunately, in 1967, which was July 17th he passed away. He was only 40 years old and during the years, if you see pictures of him, his weight would fluctuate, you know. First, you know his early years. He was, you know, slim, and as he got older he started to gain a lot of weight because again he had a bad eating. I mean, he ate a lot, he ate everything. He wasn't, you know, didn't have the best diet, and not to mention the drinking and all that. So you know, he developed an unfortunate I don't know if he smoked or not, but unfortunately he developed, you know, liver cancer and that's what took his life. So that that that's John Coltrane, one of the great American jazz saxophonist.
Speaker 1:
I encourage those who haven't listened to just go back and just listen to his songs. I mean, it's really deep, as was mentioned, deep and personal, and it's like you know, if I'm in a like in a blah mood or you know you or reflective mood, that you just want to kind of get into yourself and try to think and try to figure stuff out, I just put on a Coltrane, I'll just listen to Coltrane, and then that'll kind of like mellow you out and just kind of you just can't sit back and just reflect and just think about stuff. What could I say he just has that effect. He just has that effect. What could I say? He just had that effect, he just has that effect. So all right. So that's one of my favorite um artists was uh is John Coltrane. So thank you for um tuning in. Next week is episode number 11. Um, we got uh two more. Next week is number 11, I think in tune with Charlie Parker and Coltrane.
Speaker 1:
I think I'm gonna do Miles Davis, because Miles Davis when I did read his autobiography he's another one, one that's unusual. His personality-wise he was very unusual. He was one of those either you liked him or you didn't, but whatever you did, however you felt about him, you couldn't deny his contribution of his of music, of his jazz playing, and he was able to reinvent himself and he's one of the long, I mean cause he. He played up until the early eighties, so he was able to play, he kept up with the times as far as his playing. So he started from way back in the 40s up until the 80s. So he was, like I said, very innovative and very much a talented trumpet player.
Speaker 1:
So that's what I'm going to talk about next week, all right, so stay tuned and I appreciate everybody week, all right. So stay tuned, and I appreciate everybody, I will. I will send a link and let you know, uh, when um usually it's either on a Friday or Saturday, um, but I'll um the schedule would be on the Facebook of when um I will go live. So thank you guys. So much, and have the good rest of your evening and into the holidays. All right, bye, thank you.