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John Coltrane Jazz, taking its roots in African American folk music, has evolved, metamorphosed, and transposed itself over the last century to become a truly American art form. More than any other type of music, it places special emphasis on innovative individual interpretation. Instead of relying on a written score, the musician improvises. For each specific period or style through which jazz has gone through over the past seventy years, there is almost always a …

…but left anyway. On Monday, July 17, he passed away. The cause was liver cancer. John Coltrane’s music both led the way and reflected the enormous varieties of experimentation and development of American Jazz of the 1950’s and 60’s. Today, his influence is heard in the recordings of almost every young jazz musician. A man of mysticism, whose life was dedicated to sharing his vision of music with others, Coltrane was clearly a creative genius.