The Sopranos

I hate to keep tapping into the old-school (wait a minute, no I don’t) but one of the defining moments of my experiences as a jazz listener is the first time I heard a recording of Coltrane playing “My Favorite Things.” Beyond the virtuosity of his treatment of the tune, I was intrigued, too, by the instrument he played. I’d heard recordings of way-out musicians like Yusef Lateef playing oddball instruments like the oboe, shenai, and argol (check out the Impulse! recording Yusef Lateef Live at Pep’s from the 1960s), but hearing Coltrane play the soprano sax on “My Favorite Things” added to its mystique. (to be continued)