different element of his spiritual journey. Coltrane’s God was not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish; his God was simply a force that provided unity and harmony. “He believed that his humanity, his music, the material world, and God were all one, and that feeling of unity governed his life.” In 1957, Coltrane embarked on the most important learning experience of his life - an apprenticeship with the “High Priest of Bebop”, Thelonius Monk. Coltrane’s style had been developed with Miles Davis, but it was still somewhat reserved. With Monk, he was transformed into a legend. “Monk would provide Coltrane with the key to unlock all sorts of musical doors and free the dark and the beautiful visions Coltrane had seen throughout his life.” With the Thelonius Monk quartet, Coltrane learned many techniques that he incorporated into his distinctive style. Instead of concentrating on the melodies, the group focused on the harmonic structure of a song. At this time, Coltrane was stronger than ever. With his mature style, and new sobriety, he was ready to set out on his own. At the end of 1958, Thelonius Monk disbanded the group; Coltrane was about to set out on one of the most highly regarded solo careers in the history of jazz. In the same year, he recorded over twenty different albums with various artists, and though not famous yet, was widely respected by his fellow musicians. His most important work from this period was Blue Trane (1957), one of the first of his albums that would be widely acclaimed. Critics began to laud him, and regularly gave him good reviews. In 1957, Dom Ceruli wrote in Down Beat magazine “His playing is constantly tense and searching; always a thrilling experience.” After the dissolution of Monk’s group, Coltrane returned to work with Miles Davis, but in 1960, he left to form his own band. The jazz world of the sixties belonged to Coltrane. He pushed the limits of...
