My Favorite Things

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 '50s 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.|