My Favorite Things

Performer: John Coltrane
Artist: McCoy Tyner; Jimmy Garrison; Elvin Jones
Engineer: Tom Dowd; Phil Iehle
Producer: Nesuhi Ertegun
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: John Coltrane (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Steve Davis (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York, New York on October 21, 24 & 26, 1960. Includes liner notes by Bill Coss. John Coltrane's 1961 to 1963 European tours have been available in various set configurations on numerous albums over the years, some legally licensed and some not. As a rule, these are fine shows, although the sound quality can vary tremendously depending on the source tape used. Every Coltrane fan has a couple of these "gray area" live sets in his collection. This one has sound variances from track to track, ranging from fair to poor -- sometimes you can hear the piano and sometimes you can't; sometimes the drums are fine and sometimes they are a high washout of cymbals. Trane always comes through the tape hiss and din, though, and as archival records of a jazz giant playing live, these sorts of collections have their usefulness, but only deeply obsessive Coltrane fans really need to seek them out. ~ Steve Leggett Although seemingly impossible to comprehend, this landmark jazz recording was made in less than three days. All the more remarkable is that the same sessions which yielded My Favorite Things would also inform a majority of the albums Coltrane Plays the Blues, Coltrane's Sound, and Coltrane Legacy. It is easy to understand the appeal that these sides continue to hold. The unforced, practically casual soloing styles of the assembled quartet -- which includes Coltrane (soprano/tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Steve Davis (bass), and Elvin Jones (drums) -- allow for tastefully executed passages � la the Miles Davis Quintet, a trait Coltrane no doubt honed during his tenure in that band. Each track of this album is a joy to revisit. The ultimate listenability may reside in this quartet's capacity to not be overwhelmed by the soloist. Likewise, they are able to push the grooves along surreptitiously and unfettered. For instance, the support that the trio -- most notably Tyner -- gives to Coltrane on the title track winds the melody in and around itself. However, instead of becoming entangled and directionless, these musical sidebars simultaneously define the direction the song is taking. As a soloist, the definitive soprano sax runs during the Cole Porter standard "Everytime We Say Goodbye" and tenor solos on "But Not for Me" easily establish Coltrane as a pioneer of both instruments. ~ Lindsay Planer John Coltrane's 1961 to 1963 European tours have been available in various set configurations on numerous albums over the years, some legally licensed and some not. As a rule, these are fine shows, although the sound quality can vary tremendously depending on the source tape used. Every Coltrane fan has a couple of these "gray area" live sets in his collection. This one is drawn from the 1963 tour and features the classic quartet with Coltrane playing tenor and soprano (on "My Favorite Things") sax, Elvin Jones on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and McCoy Tyner on piano. There are sound variances from track to track -- sometimes you can hear the piano and sometimes you can't; sometimes the drums are fine and sometimes they are a high washout of cymbals. As archival records of a truly classic jazz group playing live and stretching out a bit, though, these sorts of collections have their usefulness, but only deeply obsessive Coltrane fans really need to seek them out. ~ Steve Leggett John Coltrane's 1961 to 1963 European tours have been available in various set configurations on numerous albums over the years, some legally licensed and some not. As a rule, these are fine shows, although the sound quality can vary tremendously depending on the source tape used. Every Coltrane fan has a couple of these "gray area" live sets in his collection. This one is drawn from the 1963 tour and features the classic quartet with Coltrane playing tenor and soprano (on "My Favorite Things") sax, Elvin Jones on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and McCoy Tyner on piano. There are sound variances from track to track -- sometimes you can hear the piano and sometimes you can't; sometimes the drums are fine and sometimes they are a high washout of cymbals. As archival records of a truly classic jazz group playing live and stretching out a bit, though, these sorts of collections have their usefulness, but only deeply obsessive Coltrane fans really need to seek them out. ~ Steve Leggett MY FAVORITE THINGS is a landmark album in jazz history. On the previous year's GIANT STEPS, Coltrane had established his credentials as a bebop master, composer and group leader. By 1960, he was ready to move on. On MY FAVORITE THINGS, Coltrane is in transition, searching for another level to which to raise his music. A new group featuring McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Elvin Jones on drums supports Coltrane on this experiment in non-Western harmonics and controlled dissonance. Unlike some of Coltrane's later recordings, MY FAVORITE THINGS contains plenty of melodic elements, enough to please audiences mystified by free jazz. MY FAVORITE THINGS sounds most like a typical 1950s jazz album on the Cole Porter ballad "Everytime We Say Goodbye," which Coltrane and company treat sweetly and lovingly. On the other three cuts--the title track and two Gershwin compositions, "Summertime" and "But Not For Me"--the ensemble picks up the tempo and infuses the tunes with a passionate frenzy. The band is brilliant throughout, Tyner providing particularly stellar support with both his rhythmic chord comping and melodic soloing. MY FAVORITE THINGS belongs in any jazz fan's record collection.

Mojo (Publisher) (p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[F]resh and utterly priceless."

Through both the force of his music and his personal character, saxophonist John Coltrane remains among the most influential jazz artists of all time. After a stint with the classic Miles Davis band of the late 1950s, the tenor titan embarked on a decade of staggering creativity. With the daunting GIANT STEPS, he exploded the possibilities of post-bop harmony; subsequently, he formed his "classic quartet" with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones--the ideal group for Coltrane's ever-expanding sonic vocabulary. As the '60s progressed, he also added the soprano sax to the mix and explored the use of modes, before finally moving on to the inspired free playing on records such as ASCENSION and INTERSTELLAR SPACE in his last years.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25