"John Coltrane-Jazz Legend"
Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about the greatness of the jazz musician John Coltrane.
Central Idea: Coltrane's short life saw one of the most tumultuous yet productive music careers ever.
Introduction:
1. How many of you enjoy hip-hop or rock music?
A. It's safe to assume that all of you do in one form or another.
B. Both styles of music are strongly influenced by America's true art form, jazz music.
2. Jazz has a rich history, involving many great artists.
A. Among them are Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, and John Coltrane.
B. Coltrane's legacy lives on today, and he is known as one of the great musicians of all time.
(Transition: His life was filled with many highs and lows, which defined his music.)
Body
1. Coltrane's life can be easily divided into three main periods:
A. His childhood
B. His first explorations into the professional jazz scene.
C. His spiritual rebirth.
2. John William Coltrane was born on September 23, 1946 in Hamlet North Carolina.
A. His father, a great influence, played many instruments.
I. Another influence was his grandfather, Reverend Walter Blaire.
II. Sadly, they both died in 1938.
B. Coltrane soon mastered clarinet and saxophone in his high school orchestra.
C. He began to listen to the radio intensely, and heard many early influences.
D. He finished high school and moved to Philadelphia in 1943.
I. He had no money and took a job at a sugar refinery to pay for his education at the Orstein School of Music.
II. Served a short stint as clarinetist in the Navy band in WWII.
(Transition: He returned to Philadelphia, and his professional career began to form)
3. In 1947, played a gig with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.
A. Soon after, he became depressed and turned to drugs...
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