3. "John Coltrane, no question. " In response to Reply # 0
The My Favorite Things album by Coltrane was a life changing record for me. It was the first “real” jazz record I bought as a kid and I was sold immediately. McCoy Tyner’s playing on that song with the stacked fourth chords just changed the game for me. And both his and Coltrane’s solos???? Just amazing. I bought the album because of My Favorite Things, but it also has what I consider to be the definitive version of Summertime on it, plus Every time we Say Goodbye which is a classic Trane ballad. And all the being said the track I still listen to the most on that album is But Not For Me, because it’s a crazy evolution of the Coltrane Changes from Giant Steps but applied as a reharmonization that is absolutely GENIUS. (And again, a crazy McCoy Tyner solo that I’ve transcribed multiple times to study.)
I ended up majoring in jazz studies in college and that record was and is a huge influence.
Playing the song as 4/4 makes a world of difference. Gives it such a swing and energy. Gotta love it.
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
39. "It's my favorite rendition" In response to Reply # 30 Sat Dec-10-22 06:24 PM by 40thStreetBlack
that's what the post asked.
I never heard the Coltrane version before this post. It's fantastic, so I'm glad I checked out this post. Might very well become my favorite at some point. But I love Julie Andrews' version, and I love the movie. It feels like Christmas to me.
stravinskian Member since Feb 24th 2003 12698 posts
Thu Dec-08-22 12:28 PM
31. "Coltrane is a hero, but I don't even like his performance of it." In response to Reply # 0 Thu Dec-08-22 12:31 PM by stravinskian
Every time I hear it I wish he was playing Afro Blue, which they played similarly.
Yeah, I guess I'm gatekeeping, but hopefully I'm also introducing someone out there to "Live at Birdland," my favorite Coltrane record. Their performance of Afro Blue is one of the fieriest things I've ever heard. And his performance on "I Want to Talk About You", especially the cadenza, is arguably the best tenor solo ever recorded.
stravinskian Member since Feb 24th 2003 12698 posts
Thu Dec-08-22 01:08 PM
33. "Maybe part of it is that I still can't get my head around McCoy's playin..." In response to Reply # 32 Thu Dec-08-22 01:17 PM by stravinskian
in general. I'm not criticizing -- Coltrane loved him, so obviously he deserved to be in that band. But I grew up on bebop. All those big block chords and open octaves, right on the beat. Even after 25 years of loving that band, it still doesn't work for me.
I guess it adds a more percussive thing, McCoy and Elvin used to play off each other's polyrhythms (which they definitely do in both of these 3/4 tunes). Maybe that's the direction that eventually led Coltrane to want two drummers (which, in my understanding, eventually led to McCoy leaving the band).
But yeah, on My Favorite Things McCoy gets especially virtuosic with those block chords. I just listened to it again and it's basically improvised four-part harmony. So I can't doubt the talent. It just doesn't mesh with what I listen for in jazz.
34. "All I know is I had this played at my wedding reception. In August" In response to Reply # 32
It's a standard for a reason. That said, if anybody says it goes on too long, or depatedthe piano solo vs the sax sole, they aren't wrong. But it doesn't negate the greatness of this version either.
<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up... __________________________
Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect. Game: Like Gladys Knight. Jay: Aretha Franklin. Game: Word, I like her too. Jay: Nigga...
35. "For me, it's Coltrane coming on after Tyner" In response to Reply # 34 Thu Dec-08-22 01:29 PM by flipnile
I *really* like Tyner's solo. I like Coltrane's too, but his has a different vibe that doesn't quite match for me.
Similar thing for me with 'Giant Steps.' Coltrane is a monster on this song, while the piano player (Tommy Flanagan) is on a different, much more mellow vibe. As an aside, I read they didn't give Flanagan much time to prep *and* he thought the song was gonna be played much slower.
stravinskian Member since Feb 24th 2003 12698 posts
Thu Dec-08-22 01:40 PM
36. "Oh yeah, they were basically sightreading on tape in the giant steps ses..." In response to Reply # 35 Thu Dec-08-22 01:48 PM by stravinskian
Probably not for the takes they used, but you can still hear that Tommy was scared. I always felt bad for him about that.
Supposedly Coltrane wanted the session to go like the Kind of Blue session, where the band would develop it as they're playing and they'd be guaranteed fresh takes. If that's true I guess he didn't realize you can do that with the chord changes in Kind of Blue. You can't do that with the changes in Giant Steps.
A less generous view is that Trane wanted everyone to finally respect his technical chops (people used to want Miles to kick him out of the band!). So maybe he engineered a scenario where a bunch of great players barely survive the takes but he got to sound like the master he really was.
37. "This was pretty much it…" In response to Reply # 36
>So maybe he engineered a scenario where >a bunch of great players barely survive the takes but he got >to sound like the master he really was.
He wrote Giant Steps a year before recording it and spent that time shedding it and perfecting playing on Coltrane Changes (which are really based on the bridge of Have You Met Miss Jones but with the chords moving faster.) But as mentioned the other players were sight-reading the changes during the session. Maybe not specifically to make them look bad, but there is a certain amount of energy you can feel in that recording because they are all barely hanging onto the changes going by…
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