NR Essentials #8: John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
 

 

John Coltrane
My Favorite Things
1960, Atlantic Records

Answer: Reason you love jazz. Question: What is this record?

This might be the only NR Essential that is so heavily influenced by a single track. Though of course the entire record (which is only 4 tracks) is incredible, the truth is that in my opinion the opening/title track is one of the finest examples of everything perfect about music. Coltrane took a jolly melody from (shudder) The Sound of (f'ing) Music and then managed to do EVERYTHING he could think of to it. For fourteen glorious minutes he (and his band) unselfishly, wisely, beautifully explore every tangenial variation on the theme until it is all but used up and then... on to the next standard.

And that's what's amazing about the record. These are four standards. It seems almost nuts that songs we already know being performed by instruments we already know should open any new doors. But it's this sort of exploration beyond the limits that our ears had THOUGHT existed that makes Coltrane the wise teacher that he was.

This is a record I have (and do) listen to a lot. A lot! It's a record that grows more beautiful with each listen, and maybe more importantly: it seems to teach me - or make me realize - something new about music (or even sound and how it effects us) each time I listen to it. For this is NOT background/cocktail/dinner jazz. This is pure enlightenment, and you need to pay close attention to it. NOW.


EDIT: If anyone plans on picking this up, beware of the Live album that bares the same title on its sleeve. The live disc I mention collections 6 tracks, and though it may be good, it's not the record I'm praising here.

I really like Coltrane, never heard this album though. Sounds interesting.

just listened to this yesterday, nice concidence. and yes, it's amazing.

Oh man. I discovered Coltrane because my wife wanted me to hunt down a song she heard on the Cosby show years ago. Turned out to be Trane's take on Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood" which melted me when I finally found it/heard it. SO then I grabbed this record because it just happened to be around one day. Total chance thing, like "well I want to hear ANY Coltrane" and so quickly I realized that he's probably my favorite jazz band leader.

what was that one he did that everyone knows? A Love Supreme? I like that one.

only other one I've heard is Blue Train.

Yeah, A LOVE SUPREME is good. He has a stack of really great albums, to be honest.

i agree with you. its a great album. but what do you have against the sound of music?
i admit, its not as good as marry poppins, but i would most certainly not shudder when i think of it.
back to coltrane-the ascention is amazing as well
so is everything else of his that i heard. and his live in seattle album is great (props to melly for recomending it)

fugazifan... I can't really explain this BUT, as much as I love music, and as much as I love films, I generally don't like Musicals. There may be an exception here or there, but as far as The Sound Of Music goes, it's just not my cupotea. I just get pretty bored with it. (Though I'd probably enjoy the sndtrk independent of the film).

Wow, times have changed. I've heard tons of Coltrane's stuff now and he is probably my favourite musician from the jazz realm alongside Ornette and Elvin Jones (who played with Coltrane!). 'Meditations' is seriously a mind-blowing record. I might make it the next DEREK ESSENTIAL hahaha.

Cotrane is most likely my favorite jazz musician as well.

Elvin Jones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8YRrUg1E8s Oh my!

Hey NR, what do you think about OM? A lot of people dislike it but I think it's quite interesting and creative.

Derek, I actually don't have it. I should track it down, eh?

trane is great.

sax supreme.

all his shit is amazing. his work with Miles Davis is on par with the best of anything ever.

I fucking love the sound of music.

Coltrane is one of those players who's clearly astonishing, but it's been about a year since I've actually enjoyed a record. You know, one of those things where the fact of it being great almost stops you from actually loving the record.

Haha yeah! Two tracks. It has buddhist text chants at the beginning and end of them and the most insane avant-garde jazz in the middle of it.

yeah I was reading about it. Hadn't even heard of this one until you mentioned it. He has an amazingly varied discography, which is always fun and rewarding.

The first jazz record I ever owned. Fact. Still love it to this day. Really special.

It's amazing. The title track is indeed a candidate for Coltrane's crowning achievement. However, due to their consistency, I slightly prefer John Coltrane Plays and Crescent in the ultimate Coltrane face off thing. Sun Ship, Ascension, Love Supreme and both versions of Meditations are also stunning, along with his Miles Davis stuff and, hell, pretty much EVERYTHING ELSE! The man is a musical god, and yeah, my second favourite jazz band leader, after Davis. I know those two are a massively cliched choice, but fuck it, it's a cliche for a reason!

one of my favourite records EVER.

In full agreeance. Crescent rocks the party


My Favourite Things was kinda Coltrane's anthem over the years - he kept on developing it musically on the stage right up until his death. By 66-67 it was almost unrecognizable - check out the Olatunji concert version for comparison. Massive tune.