John William Coltrane. A man of illustrious proportions, a man who has redefined Jazz - and well, music as a whole. Born in Hamlet, North Carolina in 1926, a period when music was heavily syncopated and jazz and blues thrived like never before. Coltrane was also once stationed here in Hawaii nei in 1945 while serving in the Navy, even playing in the Naval band The Melody Masters. If you dig deep enough, you might be able to uncover a copy of privately recorded albums, recorded exclusively on acetate (5 to be exact). Coltrane also once played in MIles Davis' band the "First Great Quintet," at one point the band disbanded, but reunited with Davis in 1958. Other notable musicians Coltrane has worked with were Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, Duke Ellington and Freddie Hubbard. In 1967, Coltrane passed away in a Long Island New York hospital due to liver cancer. Til this day, Coltrane's family possesses many unreleased and unheard recordings. In 2007, Coltrane won a posthumous special citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."
To celebrate the man's life, we've put together shirt (all black tee) with a print of Coltrane on the front with our infamous kala print in the background. Check for the small detail on the lower left side (Stereo: Aloha Served Daily and 1438 HI Note). The back features a blue crown with a green and white stroke. Enjoy your weekends and be safe on the roads!