No other jazz musician has proved so inspirational and so fascinating as John Coltrane. Ben Ratliff, jazz critic for the New York Times, has written the first book to do justice to this great and controversial music pioneer. As well as an elegant narrative of Coltrane's life Ratliff does something incredibly valuable, he writes about the saxophonist's unique sound.

Who's Willie Mays? -- Not much happens -- Prestige -- Theory-mad -- Vanguard -- Two concepts going -- Best good -- The style of -- Spiritual -- You must die -- Dark days -- Syllabus.