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Coltrane, John – 1960 - The John Coltrane Quartet, My Favorite Things
Identifier
021980
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Coltrane formed his first quartet for live performances in 1960 for an appearance at the Jazz Gallery in New York City. After moving through different personnel including Steve Kuhn, Pete La Roca, and Billy Higgins, the lineup stabilized in the fall with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones. Tyner, from Philadelphia, had been a friend of Coltrane's for some years and the two men had an understanding that the pianist would join Coltrane when Tyner felt ready for the exposure of regularly working with him.
Coltrane's first record with his new group was also his debut playing the soprano saxophone, the hugely successful My Favorite Things (1960). Around the end of his tenure with Davis, Coltrane had begun playing soprano, an unconventional move considering the instrument's neglect in jazz at the time.
The new soprano sound was coupled with further exploration. For example, on the Gershwin tune "But Not for Me", Coltrane employs the kinds of restless harmonic movement (Coltrane changes) used on Giant Steps (movement in major thirds rather than conventional perfect fourths) over the A sections instead of a conventional turnaround progression. Several other tracks recorded in the session utilized this harmonic device, including "26–2", "Satellite", "Body and Soul", and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes".
A description of the experience
John Coltrane My Favorite Things (1961) [Full album]
1. "My Favorite Things" 00:00
2. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" 13:42
3. "Summertime" 19:25
4. "But Not for Me" 31:00