John Coltrane Analysis

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Mentioning the name John Coltrane to the most casual jazz fan can most likely arouse a deep emotional feeling and a shout of some of his most famous music. John Coltrane was indeed a Jazz legend. He was pronounced during the Progressive era and people have known him ever since. In his album My Favorite Things, you will hear him on tenor and soprano saxes along with McCoy Tyner on the piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. The track includes four of some of his most famous tunes, My Favorite Things, Everytime We Say Goodbye, Summertime, and But Not for Me. The album was recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, NY. My Favorite Things, recorded on October 21, 1960, Summertime, recorded on October 24, 1960, Everytime We Say Goodbye and But Not For Me, were both recorded on October 26, 1960. The album’s big day it came out to public was in 1961 and fans loved the sound they heard coming from Mr. Coltrane. My Favorite Things is the longest tune on the album being 13 minutes and 44 seconds. In this laid back, very smooth sound you hear Coltrane on soprano sax. The form of which John Coltrane plays in is AABA. Throughout the song Coltrane will drop playing the sax as another instrument will tune up and solo. The piano has a nice solo during the song while the instruments in the back are very subtle as Coltrane fades in again with his saxophone solo. Each instrument in the back keeps to the same beat throughout the whole song and responding to Coltrane’s changes, with a loud progression at the end and a soft drum roll off in the end. Everytime We Say Goodbye is a “pull at your heart strings” kind of song. It is very emotional and intimate throughout the 6 minutes. It sounds like he is calling out to someone with the loud starts and fading back during the rest of the line of music. The song is played in AABA, there is a beginning and you heard the bridge then

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