John Coltrane's Tenor Solo on "I Love You" - A Transcription
In the holiday spirit, I'm merrily posting a transcription of John Coltrane's tenor saxophone solo on Cole Porter's “I Love You” (in Bb tenor key only, at this point). It was recorded on August 16th 1957 for the Prestige label, during the early part of 'Trane's famed gig with Thelonious Monk's quartet at the legendary Five Spot that summer and fall.
It was also part of a session that included a ballad version of “Like Someone in Love” as well as two takes of 'Trane's Slow Blues”, which made up side-one of the LP “Lush Life” and wasn't released by Prestige until 1961.
Bassist Earl May and drummer Art Taylor round out the piano-less trio.
These sax/ bass and drums trio (known as “strolling”) recordings are some of my favorite Coltrane, as well as those recorded in Oct. 1960, which included “Satellite”, among others.
It was also part of a session that included a ballad version of “Like Someone in Love” as well as two takes of 'Trane's Slow Blues”, which made up side-one of the LP “Lush Life” and wasn't released by Prestige until 1961.
Bassist Earl May and drummer Art Taylor round out the piano-less trio.
These sax/ bass and drums trio (known as “strolling”) recordings are some of my favorite Coltrane, as well as those recorded in Oct. 1960, which included “Satellite”, among others.
As mentioned, all examples shown are in tenor key - written a whole step above and sounding a Major 9th above concert.
First things first being the intro, Coltrane enters with a diminished scale figure for eight bars over a brisk Cha-Cha rhythm.
Ex. #1 (below) is not an exact transcription of that figure, but a basic illustration of 'Trane's diminished scale motif - sounding somewhat Middle Eastern and quite mysterious, while setting up a contrast with Porter's melody. The rhythm changes to a walking swing, as the melody - itself is unique - begins with a descending Major 7th (tenor high D down to an Eb).
Ex. #1
First things first being the intro, Coltrane enters with a diminished scale figure for eight bars over a brisk Cha-Cha rhythm.
Ex. #1 (below) is not an exact transcription of that figure, but a basic illustration of 'Trane's diminished scale motif - sounding somewhat Middle Eastern and quite mysterious, while setting up a contrast with Porter's melody. The rhythm changes to a walking swing, as the melody - itself is unique - begins with a descending Major 7th (tenor high D down to an Eb).
Ex. #1
“I Love You” with its 32-bar, AB song form was originally part of Cole Porter's 1944 musical “Mexican Hayride”. It became a hit for Bing Crosby that same year and has become part of the standard Jazz repertoire.
After stating thirty bars of the melody, Coltrane launches into a rapid-fire 2-bar solo break (Ex. #2), outlining and implying a iii-VI-ii-V cadence, and serving as a prequel of things to come in the following four choruses of his solo.
Ex. #2 - The 2-bar break
After stating thirty bars of the melody, Coltrane launches into a rapid-fire 2-bar solo break (Ex. #2), outlining and implying a iii-VI-ii-V cadence, and serving as a prequel of things to come in the following four choruses of his solo.
Ex. #2 - The 2-bar break
Listen
It's been written that John Coltrane was (among other things) a rhythmic innovator, using the 16th-note as the basic rhythmic unit of his solos - as Louis Armstrong had previously done with the quarter-note, followed by Charlie Parker with the eighth-note.
Ex. #3 below illustrates 'Trane's signature long lines, with the 16th-note being the basic unit. From the second beat of bar #30 to the beginning of bar #34 at the end of the first 32 bar chorus, Coltrane employs this technique - often with a slight accent on the first note of each group of four 16th-notes.
Ex. #3 - Bars #28-34
Ex. #3 below illustrates 'Trane's signature long lines, with the 16th-note being the basic unit. From the second beat of bar #30 to the beginning of bar #34 at the end of the first 32 bar chorus, Coltrane employs this technique - often with a slight accent on the first note of each group of four 16th-notes.
Ex. #3 - Bars #28-34
Listen
In the next example (Ex. #4), Coltrane paraphrases the melody's descending Maj 7th interval in bar #67, completing the lyrical statement in bar #68.
He returns to 16th-note scalar action in bars #69-72, delaying the V7-i resolution (E7 to A min) across the bar line from the last beat of bar #70.
From the last pair of 16th-notes in bar #71, he runs an A Locrian #2 mode (from C Melodic Minor) over the D7, as a kind of "back door" resolution (bvii - I) to G Maj7 in bar #73 (not shown).
Ex. #4 - Melodic Maj 7th interval, delayed and backdoor resolutions
He returns to 16th-note scalar action in bars #69-72, delaying the V7-i resolution (E7 to A min) across the bar line from the last beat of bar #70.
From the last pair of 16th-notes in bar #71, he runs an A Locrian #2 mode (from C Melodic Minor) over the D7, as a kind of "back door" resolution (bvii - I) to G Maj7 in bar #73 (not shown).
Ex. #4 - Melodic Maj 7th interval, delayed and backdoor resolutions
Listen
The D (F, Ab & B) half tone/ whole tone Diminished Scale, which was introduced by Coltrane in the song's intro, is reprised here (bars #75-76) in the form of a symmetrical pattern which he made famous and used often during this period (Ex. #5).
In bar #78, Coltrane briefly alludes to the Diminished Scale a half step lower (i.e. the C#, E, G & Bb ht/ wt Diminished Scale) over the C#min7 F#7 ii-V, before returning to more conventional diatonic scalar material.
Ex. #5 - Coltrane's diminished scale pattern
In bar #78, Coltrane briefly alludes to the Diminished Scale a half step lower (i.e. the C#, E, G & Bb ht/ wt Diminished Scale) over the C#min7 F#7 ii-V, before returning to more conventional diatonic scalar material.
Ex. #5 - Coltrane's diminished scale pattern
Listen
Ex. #6 (bars #79-82) is a continuation of the previous example, showing 'Trane's use of diatonic material in the temporary key change to B Maj then and back to G Maj, via A-7 D7 (ii-V7).
Ex. #6 - bars #79-82 - Key Change
Ex. #6 - bars #79-82 - Key Change
Listen
Bars #83-86 (Ex. #7) show Coltrane mixing in arpeggiated figures in each bar, including the descending diatonic 4-note 7th-chord arpeggios in bars #85-86 – another typical Coltrane device of that period.
Ex. #7 - bars #83-86 - 4-note 7th-chord arpeggios
Ex. #7 - bars #83-86 - 4-note 7th-chord arpeggios
Listen
In this next example (Ex. #8, bars #115-118), 'Trane exhibits his lyricism with a short descending phrase starting on a tenor saxophone high-G, then articulating a descending G Major arpeggio in bar #117.
Ex. #8 - bars #115-118 - A Lyrical Phrase
Ex. #8 - bars #115-118 - A Lyrical Phrase
Listen
Ex. #9 (bars #123-127) is another example of Coltrane's lyricism, as he begins to wrap up his solo with this gorgeous phrase.
Ex. #9 - bars #123-127 - More Lyricism
Ex. #9 - bars #123-127 - More Lyricism
Listen
I had been wanting to transcribe this Coltrane tenor solo for a long time, as this album was the first of 'Trane's that I owned. I'm still amazed after all this time at how those rapid 16th-notes seem to "pop" out of his horn.
B. Stern
B. Stern
Related:
*** 'Tranein' with Triads - Alternating Major & Minor ***
*** An Etude for a Brighter Day - John Coltrane's "Mr. Day" ***
*** A 'Trane Back@sswards - The Cycle of Ascending Major Thirds ***
*** 'Tranein' with Triads - Alternating Major & Minor ***
*** An Etude for a Brighter Day - John Coltrane's "Mr. Day" ***
*** A 'Trane Back@sswards - The Cycle of Ascending Major Thirds ***
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