John William Coltrane (September 23 1926 – July 17 1967), nicknamed Trane, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Although recordings of his work from as early as 1946 exist, Coltrane's recording career did not begin in earnest until 1955. Coltrane initially played alongside luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, and after 1957, recorded and produced dozens of albums, many released posthumously. Throughout his career Coltrane's music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension that would color his legacy. His conception of expression in jazz became increasingly mystical, gnostic and cathartic.

Coltrane has been credited with reshaping modern jazz and being the predominant influence on successive generations of saxophonists. Like tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young before him, Coltrane fundamentally altered expectations for the instrument.

Coltrane received a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."

John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Though he was active before 1955 , his prime years were between 1955 and 1967 , during which time he reshaped modern jazz and influenced successive generations of other musicians. The music recorded during this time period ranges from some of the most influential hard bop of the 50s into increasingly atonal explorations which eventually end up in the free jazz of his late period. It is und