John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
Listen to a condensed audio version of this review by Greg
There are thousands of jazz albums out there. Jazz is a new(er) friend of mine. By “new” I do not mean the last year, new. I mean within the last, say ten, twelve years. What I have realized over those ten to twelve years is that jazz acts as a calming agent for me. I invite you to read or listen more and I will explain.
Previously, I reviewed a classic Miles Davis album, Kind of Blue. Playing tenor saxophone on that very album, was a Mr. John Coltrane. Coltrane first caught my attention in 1991 while watching the film, The Doors, produced by Oliver Stone and starring Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan. There is a scene where the band is writing one of their classics, Light My Fire. Doors guitarist Robby Krieger says to his bandmates, “Maybe we could put a couple of long solos on it?”, referring to writing the music for Light My Fire, “Ya know? Like Coltrane did on My Favorite Things.”
After seeing the movie three times in the theatre in ’91 and purchasing the VHS tape when it was first available, I was curious to know who this “Coltrane” was. So, I looked him up the only way I knew how, by going to the record store.
John William Coltrane was born on September 23rd, 1926 in a small town called Hamlet, North Carolina. In late 1938 through early 1939, John’s grandparents, aunt and father all passed away within a few months of each other, leaving him to be cared by his mother and older cousins. John and his remaining family moved to Philadelphia, PA in 1943. At age 17, John’s mother bought him his first saxophone, an alto sax.
John was lucky enough to serve as a musician in the United States Navy, trading time playing while overseas and playing in nightclubs as a young man all throughout Philadelphia. In 1955, he caught the eye and ear of famed jazz musician, Miles Davis. Although very, very raw, Miles saw Coltrane’s talent immediately and invited the then 29-year-old to join one of the most prestigious jazz quintets in music history. Playing primarily a tenor saxophone, Coltrane added his genius musicianship to one of, if not THE most famous jazz albums of all time, Davis’, Kind of Blue.
By 1956 - 1957, Coltrane was now famous. However, 1957 offered a wake-up call for John when he was approached by Miles one evening to discuss their future together. Coltrane had developed an $80 a day heroin habit. His addiction had gotten out of control and Miles had to give some tough love to John by letting him go. Fortunately, getting fired by the Jazz God was indeed what he needed. Soon after this experience, John moved back home to Philadelphia to live with his mother and get clean.
Within a year, Coltrane had impressively kicked his heroin habit and rejoined Davis on tour. In addition to traveling and playing with Miles, he continued to write and record his own albums as a first-time band leader. In 1961, Coltrane released, My Favorite Things on Atlantic Records. This record would bring John his first hit single, the title track, My Favorite Things, which many know from the 1959 Broadway musical, The Sound of Music and the famed 1965 film version starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. When Coltrane recorded the song in late 1960, it had yet to hit the silver screen in the famed movie. However the track originally written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rogers had national notoriety as the musical play was one of Broadway’s most popular.
Break out the scotch, the bourbon or a fine wine when you spin this record. Or for many of you, listen to it on your phone. With only four songs on the album, My Favorite Things clocks in at 40:25. Each song brings a positive, calming vibe that immediately makes you feel as if you are in a dark jazz club in New York or San Francisco. The basement is filled with tables all pointing towards a very, very small stage. Picture the wait staff buzzing past each table on the floor, serving drink after drink, each occupied table is lit by one candle, and all the patrons are in a trance, staring at the musicians.
This album was the first where Coltrane played his soprano saxophone. Presented to John as a gift from Miles, the soprano is a higher register variety of saxophone than the tenor. It is shaped more like a straight, sticked horn as opposed to the smooth curves of a tenor. Coltrane practiced on his new tenor like a “man with no talent”, one friend said. He was always looking for inspiration. In the album’s opening track, the title track, you can hear Coltrane take his solo to another dimension at roughly 10:13 into the song. That solo immediately caught my attention. It made me finally understand what Robby Krieger was referring to when he told his Doors bandmates he wanted to write their most famous song, in the structure that Coltrane played My Favorite Things. Verse, chorus, long instrumental, verse, chorus, long instrumental, verse, chorus, end.
I listen to this album when I am cooking, cleaning, relaxing, driving, reading, writing and even when I am just “listening”. Remember when we just “listened” to music? No distractions. We just listened. Remember that? I make an effort from time to time to just sit down, drop the needle on a classic album and for 20-30 minutes, just listen…..
Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye is a departure from the album’s up tempo’d title track. I can see this song being played at several USO dances in the 1960s, where soldiers dance cheek to cheek with their sweethearts. While hearing this, it is easy to picture looking out the window on a rainy or snowy night. There is a fire in the fireplace and your best scotch is sitting out on the counter, calling your name.
Summertime picks the jazzy groove up a little. The swinging stand-up bass from Steve Davis is difficult to miss as it provides a strong rhythm on top of the drum beat put down by Elvin Jones. In addition to this, pianist McCoy Tyner adds a hall of fame leveled piano track not only to this song, but on all four tracks on this record. These four musicians went on to have established careers of their own after playing with John. Like Kind of Blue, this album is another collection of hall of famer, dream-teamers that create a work of art.
But Not for Me closes out the album. At just four tracks, you still feel as if you got your money’s worth. Each song offers lengthy improvisational jams led by Coltrane and his masterful sax. Coltrane was found many nights asleep on his cot, a couch or his bed with his saxophone laying on top of him. Many close friends frequently stated, “John played himself to sleep again last night”. Coltrane never stopped practicing, even when he was famous and considered among the genre’s elite. One night at a gig in San Francisco, between sets, John left the venue, walked 10 or 12 blocks with binoculars and gazed at the stars until it was time to walk back. He wanted to do anything he could to find inspiration.
Although none of the songs on My Favorite Things were written by him, John wanted to take some of his favorite songs and play them the way he wanted. Due to nationwide familiarity with most of the music, My Favorite Things was met with open arms and great enthusiasm by the public. The album quickly became a smash hit for John and by late 1965, enabled him to record and release anything he wanted with whomever he wanted to play with.
There is speculation that by 1965, John was also using again. Rather than bother with heroin, John decided to experiment with LSD, a psychedelic hallucinogen that John said enabled him to see his music in addition to hearing it. During many live performances, Coltrane would extend songs ten, sometimes fifteen minutes just to solo and jam with his bandmates. This is the true genius of Coltrane.
John died of liver cancer on July 17th, 1967 at the early age of 40. He was still considered by many as a young man who had so much more to offer. He had also been battling hepatitis, which many close friends said was developed after years of using dirty needles as a heroin addict. Either way, like many musicians I write about, Coltrane died way too early and left a hole in the heart of his family, friends and jazz fans. This hole is still felt even to this day. There are still murals to Coltrane in Philly and his birth town of Hamlet, NC. The Philly mural was part of a building tear down in 2020, but the city partnered with local artists quickly and a redesign of the famed mural is set to be completed by mid 2021.
I think long and hard about the albums I choose to review. Many times, I agonize over what people want to hear or read. But in the end, I stick to my initial goal, which is to create something that enables you to feel my passion when reading each review or listening to my podcast. I want to encourage a reaction from you of either “total” agreement, “total” disagreement or spark your curiosity to make you pick up a copy and listen. For if every review was about an album you have already heard, well, how boring is that? Don’t you want to be inspired?
If jazz is your thing, well, I am guessing you have listened to this before, or at least another Coltrane record. If jazz is not your thing, try this album, My Favorite Things. C’mon! Dip your toe! The next time you are feeling overwhelmed or experience feelings of stress, listen to this album for five minutes. I promise you your stress will melt away.