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John Coltrane
One of the most important figures in jazz history, saxophonist and composer John Coltrane revolutionized the genre during a relatively brief but highly influential career which saw him battle drug addiction, experience a spiritual conversion and develop a unique improvisational style coined "sheets of sound." A key sideman for the likes of Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, Coltrane contributed to a plethora of landmark releases in the mid-late 1950s before becoming a band leader himself, recording several masterpieces of his own which helped to usher in a new era for jazz music. His prolific work-rate in the studio ensured that his legacy continued to grow long after his sudden death at the age of forty.