John Coltrane in Copenhagen in 1961.
Photo: Redferns, JP Jazz Archive. All rights reserved.
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In May 1961, John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things was released. The record label Rhino has announced a remastered deluxe edition for this anniversary, which is to be released on May 20th.
Lost Monomix found again
The special edition will be available on both CD and vinyl. Both contain new stereo and mono mixes mastered from the original tapes. According to Rhino, the Monomix was thought lost for a long time but was recently rediscovered.
The double LP is packaged in a record sleeve based on the original. In addition, this should contain a booklet with special photos, period documents from the 60s and newly added notes by music journalist Ben Ratliff.
John Coltrane debuts on soprano saxophone
The special thing about “My Favorite Things”: For the first time Coltrane could not only be heard on his tenor saxophone, but also on the soprano saxophone. The tracks on the record are his very first recordings on soprano saxophone. He explained in an interview shortly before recording in 1960: “I had to take a slightly different approach than what I use for the tenor, but it helps me to detach – it gives me a different look at improvisation . It’s like I have a different hand.”
favorite work
Coltrane wanted the album to hold a special meaning, a year after the release of My Favorite Things he said it was “his favorite of anything we’ve recorded.” Coltrane continued: “I don’t think I want to remake it in any other way, although every other record I’ve made could be improved with a few details. This waltz is fantastic: if you play it slowly, there’s something gospel-like about it, which isn’t all that uncomfortable; if you play it fast, it has certain other undeniable qualities. It is very interesting to discover a piece that renews itself depending on the impulse you give it; that’s why we don’t always play this tune at the same tempo.”
This enthusiasm for the work of the jazz musician, who died in 1967, is also shared in general: In 1988 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2018 the album received gold status with 500,000 copies sold.
In 2015, the 50th anniversary of “A Love Supreme” was celebrated, for which a reissue was also released.
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