Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coltrane's most stellar effort between bop and free-form, April 22, 2000
Many would be quick to tell you that "A Love Supreme" is the unquestionable Coltrane masterpiece, but "My Favorite Things" deserves consideration. Recorded when Coltrane was moving away from hard-bop and closer to his own free-form compositions, this album is a literal representation of Coltrane in the middle of his career, and the playing shows an all-around gorgeous band exploring the beauty of these standards. The most impressive contribution is the bright work of pianist McCoy Tyner. Some view jazz albums not as a collection of songs but as one whole suite; this is an example of an albums that flows in such a way. The band carefully waves in and out of the melodies without ever drifting away from them. Coltrane does some of his most gentle sorprano sax playing here that is wonderfully offset by the energetic trio behind him.Those of you interested in Coltrane who don't know where to begin and are hesistant about Coltrane's free-form albums that began with "A Love Supreme" should start with this album. A beautiful gift to all of us.
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55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now I BEGIN to understand..., June 19, 2002
When I started liking jazz at 17 (Can it really be 40 years ago?) I avoided Coltrane, because he was into some "free-form" dissonance that was too radical for my ear. I did Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn" instead (great) and some Brubeck, some Shearing, Maynard Ferguson, Tito Puente, Modern Jazz Quartet and a little Miles Davis. I never did get around to Coltrane until this week. This album came out when I was in 10th grade, just prior to Mr. Coltrane getting so experimental. I wish I had been wise enough to buy it then, but I am so glad to have it now. Listening to this with earphones is a religious experience. The nearly 14 minutes of "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" is worth the price of the CD all by itself. That one piece is kind of a text as to the functioning of a jazz quartet, the dissection and expansion of a popular song, the sensuous joy of soprano saxophone. The next song, Cole Porter's "Everytime We Say Goodbye" is less than half as long, but there is room within it for pianist McCoy Tyner to have a lovely solo into my left ear, followed by a great solo bass part by Steve Davis into the right ear, with drummer Elvin Jones doing steady, supportive quiet work throughout, and then Coltrane's sax coming back on the right to restate the main theme. Remarkable sounds. The second half of the record has Coltrane switching to tenor sax for a lengthy uptempo version of "Summertime" that gets better with each minute, but which is quite a departure from the normal way we have always heard the standard from "Porgy and Bess." The last piece, "But Not For Me" is one of my all-time Gershwin favorites. Without the wonderful lyrics, it doesn't have all of its power, but Coltrane, Tyner, Davis and Jones do some amazing things within its framework. All in all, this is what I would consider an American jazz essential recording to own.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Too Elegant for This World., October 24, 2002
If it weren't for my late father, a passionate lover of jazz, chances are I would never have bothered with John Coltrane--and quite possibly the whole genre altogether. If "A Love Supreme" and "Blue Train" are two of this saxaphonist's best albums, then "My Favorite Things" has to rank a close third. Never before have I heard such a lovely reinterpretation of the classic title song as performed by Coltrane. His warm and inviting sax glides with ease through this 13 minute piece, which is also highlighted by the excellent piano work of McCoy Tyner. The lively "Summertime" is just flat-out perfect and shows Coltrane at his most expressive and skillful, and the bass and drums, from Steve Davis and Elvin Jones respectively, blend nicely into the mix. "My Favorite Things" is a classy and elegant CD that's required listening for anyone who is into jazz and also interested in this incredibly talented saxaphonist.
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