John Coltrane - My Favorite Things

Soprano saxophone's history in jazz prior this release was limited to few players, the most famous example being Sidney Bechet, whose sound was rather different from the way soprano sax sounds like nowadays, his intonation being more clarinet like (Bechet was a clarinetist). After Bechet died in 1959, it seemed like soprano saxophone was forever destined to be a rarer type of instrument. That is, until John Coltrane, usually known for his tenor saxophone playing, decided to pick up the soprano. And indeed, he was inspired by Bechet. The 1960 album My Favorite Things turned out to be not only a hit record, but pretty much a catalyst for soprano sax gaining popularity in jazz. The fourteen minute title track was something of an innovation in modal jazz as well: taking a popular Rodgers & Hammerstein song and making it a modal, Eastern music influenced trance-inducing excursion took improvisation on a theme to an entirely new level. And the bold new soprano sax tone with the instrument sounding very much akin to oboe, or even shenai (an exotic reed instrument) was also embraced by jazz listeners and musicians, setting the tone for other soprano saxophonists to emerge later on. Not less captivating was the support of backing musicians, particulary McCoy Tyner's excellent piano backing with rich and shifting chord voicings and Elvin Jones' dexterous drumming. The second piece on the record, "Every Time We Say Goodbye" showcases Coltrane very well in the ballad setting, with more subtle kind of soprano sax outing as well as featuring a sublime piano solo from Tyner. For the side two, Coltrane switches to tenor sax as well as more energetic material, giving an intense solo in "Summertime", and the album closes with a more upbeat "But Not For Me", which shows that although My Favorite Things is a record notorious for soprano sax display, his tenor sax playing on this record was just as vital.


John Coltrane Quintet (incl. Eric Dolphy) playing "My Favorite Things" in 1961.