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. Coltrane's recording rate was astonishingly prolific, such that many albums did not appear until years after they were recorded.

He is regarded as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians, and one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century. Along with tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Sonny Rollins, Coltrane fundamentally altered expectations for the instrument.

Although there are recordings of Coltrane from as early as 1946, he received little recognition until 1955. Coltrane, now nicknamed "Trane," was freelancing in Philadelphia in the summer of 1955 when he received a call from trumpeter Miles Davis. Davis, whose success during the late forties had dissipated during several years of heroin abuse, had cleaned up, become active, and was now ready to form a quintet. Legend has it that tenor man Sonny Rollins, Davis's preferred saxophonist, vanished temporarily to ensure that Coltrane was appointed in his place. With a few absences, Coltrane was with this edition of the Davis band (known as the "First Classic Quintet" to distinguish it from Miles's later group with Wayne Shorter) from October 1955 through April 1957, a period which saw influential recordings from Davis and the first signs of Coltrane's growing ability.

In the early part of 1957, Coltrane succeeded in kicking heroin. He simultaneously experienced a spiritual epiphany that would lead him to concentrate wholly on the development of his music. During the latter part of 1957, Coltrane worked with Thelonious Monk at New York's Five Spot Cafe during a legendary six-month gig. Unfortunately, this association was not extensively documented, and the best-recorded evidence demonstrating the compatibility of Coltrane with Monk, a concert at Carnegie Hall on November 29, 1957, was only discovered and issued in 2005 by Blue Note. (A previously released Monk/Coltrane album on Blue Note, Live at the Five Spot – Discovery! is fascinating but poorly recorded.) His extensive recordings as a sideman and as a leader for Prestige have a mixed reputation. Blue Train, his sole date as leader for Blue Note, is widely considered his best album from this period.

He rejoined Davis in January 1958. In October 1958, jazz critic Ira Gitler coined the term "sheets of sound" to describe the unique style Coltrane developed during his stint with Monk and was perfecting in Miles's group, now a sextet. His playing was compressed, as if whole solos passed in a few seconds, with triple- or quadruple-time runs cascading in hundreds of notes per minute. He stayed with Davis until April 1960, alongside alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley; pianists Red Garland, Bill Evans, and Wynton Kelly; bassist Paul Chambers; and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb. During this time he participated in such seminal Davis sessions as Milestones and Kind Of Blue, and recorded his own influential sessions (notably Giant Steps whose title track is generally considered to have the most complex and difficult chord progression of any Jazz composition).

Coltrane formed his first group, a quartet, in 1960. After moving through different personnel including Steve Kuhn, Pete LaRoca, and Billy Higgins, the lineup stabilized in the fall with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones. Tyner, from Philadelphia, had been a friend of Coltrane's for some years and the two men long had an understanding that the pianist would join Coltrane at the appropriate time.

While still with Miles, Coltrane had signed a contract with Atlantic Records, for whom he recorded the aforementioned Giant Steps. His first record with his new group was the hugely successful My Favorite Things, whose title track, a catchy waltz by Rodgers and Hammerstein (as well as Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye"), featured Trane on soprano. This new sound was coupled with further exploration. For example, on the Gershwins' "But Not for Me," Coltrane employs the kinds of restless harmonic movement of his Giant Steps period (movement in thirds rather than conventional circles-of-fifths) over the A sections instead of a conventional turnaround progression.

The Classic Quartet produced their most famous record, A Love Supreme, in 1964. A culmination of much of Coltrane's work up to this period, this four-part suite is an ode to his faith in and love for God (not necessarily God in the Christian sense--Coltrane often mentioned that he worshipped all gods of all religions). Its spiritual concerns would characterize much of Coltrane's composing and playing from this point until his death in 1967. The fourth movement of the suite, "Psalm," is, in fact, a poem dedicated to God that Coltrane recites through his saxophone. The recording also pointed the way to the atonality of his later free jazz recordings. Despite its challenging musical content, the album was a commercial success by jazz standards, encapsulating both the internal and external energy of the quartet of Coltrane, Tyner, Jones and Garrison. They only played the suite live once — in July 1965. By then, Coltrane's music had grown more adventurous, and the performance provides an interesting contrast to the original.
 

Selected discography

Charlie Parker was one of the most influential improvising soloists in jazz, and a central figure in the development of bop in the 1940s. A legendary figure in his own lifetime, he was idolized by those who worked with him, and he inspired a generation of jazz performers and composers.

Early in his career Parker was dubbed "Yardbird" (there are many contradictory stories of its origin). It was later shortened to 'Bird' and remained Parker's nickname for the rest of his life and inspiration for the titles of his works, such as the Yardbird Suite. A persistent myth, repeated by many reputable sources, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, is that Christopher was Parker's second christian name.

Parker is commonly considered one of the greatest jazz musicians. In terms of influence and impact, his contribution to jazz was so great that Charles Mingus commented, "If Bird were alive today, he would think he was living in a hall of mirrors." [citation needed] Bird's talent is compared almost without argument, to such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and his reputation and legend as one of the best saxophonists is such that some critics say he was unsurpassed; jazz critic Scott Yanow speaks for many jazz fans and musicians when he suggests that "Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time."

A founding figure of bebop, Parker's innovative approach to melody, rhythm and harmony have exerted an incalculable influence on jazz. Several of Parker's songs have become standards of the repertoire, and innumerable musicians have studied Parker's music and absorbed elements of his style.

Parker also became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical (seeking to study with Edgard Varese and Stefan Wolpe) to Latin music (recordings with Machito), blazing paths followed later by others.

Selected discography