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Kate Molleson and Kevin Le Gendre discuss the turning points in John Coltrane’s early career.

Coltrane is a name you’re likely to have heard, even if you know little to nothing about jazz. More than half a century after his death, saxophonist and composer John Coltrane is hailed as a giant of American cultural history, and one of 20th-century music’s greatest visionaries. But he’s not the only Coltrane. His wife, Alice, was an accomplished keyboardist and harpist who made revolutionary music in her own right, and whose contribution to John’s late output has not always been fully recognised. As soulmates and fellow seekers in sound, John and Alice both transcended cultural and genre boundaries, helping to pioneer avant-garde and spiritual jazz. But following John’s premature death in 1967, Alice began her solo career and would take forward their journey of creative and religious expansion. All this week, Kate Molleson is joined by journalist and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre to dive into the lives and music of these monumental figures, and explore their contributions to the jazz world and beyond.

Today, Kate and Kevin explore the first stages in John’s career - and the little steps that lead him towards his early triumph, Giant Steps. Along the way, he’s offered a golden opportunity, to play with Miles Davis. But will he make the most of it?

Music featured:
Straight Street (from Coltrane)
Blue Train (from Blue Train)
Miles Davis/John Coltrane: So What (from Kind of Blue)
Giant Steps (from Giant Steps)
Syeeda’s Song Flute (from Giant Steps)
Naima (from Giant Steps)

Produced by Amelia Parker for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Audio Wales