John Coltrane on "Blue in Green"

This solo doesn't need much of an introduction: it's an iconic, pared-down Coltrane statement from 1959's Kind of Blue which is one of the most well-recorded examples of his sound from the Atlantic Giant Steps-era earlier in his career. I learned this solo originally to play along with for the saxophone sound content above all else; warming up with this and Stan Getz's "Soul Eyes" from Soul Eyes (1989) was part of my regular routine in high school, but posting this solo reminded me that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to keep doing it at the beginning of my practice sessions now.

One interesting side-note: the harmonic motion of the tune is doubled from the head in and the head out, which I never noticed until I wrote down the transcription and tried to notate it. So, I suppose you could say that it's a two-chorus solo, although it's still only a 40-second statement. Here's the transcription:

Comments

  1. I listen to this piece of music, this Coltrane solo for more than 30 years now and forever... it will touch my heart...

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  2. indeed, as a guitar player this is one Ive always wanted to nail. I love listening to it on a rainy night after coming home from a gig at around 2:33 o'clock in the morning. The desperation of Miles Horn pulls me through the ride home but Coltranes 40 second statement is my reprise to the evening

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    1. What the hell? I’ve just done that! In the house soaked at 2 am after listening to Kind of blue ! It never gets old

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