Born on this day in Hamlet, North Carolina, legendary saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967) played with spiritual fire. With speed and power, his music pursued liberation—both personal and universal. His unmistakable sound offered a deep emotional connection, a creative search for freedom and truth.

“There is never any end... There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at,” he once reflected. “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.”

After serving in the Navy in 1945, Coltrane played in Philadelphia and New York, performing with Eddie Vinson and Dizzy Gillespie. By 1955, he joined Miles Davis, evolving with each collaboration. He became known for passionate 45-minute solos, improvised from the depths of his soul.

“You can play a shoestring if you're sincere,” he said. And sincerity, for Coltrane, was sacred. Music was a vessel of spiritual devotion: his faith, his very being.

He composed and recorded Giant Steps (1960) and the deeply moving A Love Supreme (1964), each a groundbreaking testament to his mastery and message. He believed that communication through sound was more powerful than words. “The emotional reaction is all that matters,” he explained.

John Coltrane changed the course of jazz, forever urging us to dig deeper, reach higher. And to listen to the music of life with your pure heart.