album for Impulse!, simply titled Duke Ellington & John Coltrane. The bassist and

Transcription

1 John Coltrane s Solo on Take The Coltrane Transcription & Analysis by Seth Carper In 1962 John Coltrane and Duke Ellington went into the studio to record an album for Impulse!, simply titled Duke Ellington & John Coltrane. The bassist and drummer from both men s groups rounded out the quartet on various tracks. One of the most exciting numbers on the record is Ellington s riff blues, Take The Coltrane. Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, both from Coltrane s quartet, play bass and drums on the cut. Ellington plays only two choruses, leaving the bulk of the improvisation to Coltrane. Ellington obviously wanted Coltrane to feel free to stretch, choosing not to comp behind Coltrane s solo. Coltrane tempers this freedom with one of his clearest solos of this period. As with many of Coltrane s solos, there is a sparse amount of motivic material present. This recording simultaneously displays Coltrane s deep sense of the blues tradition, while pushing toward a more open, modal sound over the blues progression. Motives The opening phrase can be thought of as the seed of the entire solo. Much of what follows derives from the first two measures. Rhythmically, the cell starts on a strong beat (1 or 3), and consists of a quarter note and two eighth notes, followed by another quarter note. This motive is easy to follow through the first eight measures as Coltrane sequences it through the and (Fig. 1). The motive returns in this relatively pure form in mm. 33-4, 63, 81-83, and (Fig.2a- e). Measures also contain a rhythmic compression of the figure (Fig. 3).

2 Fig. 1 Motive 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 A a b c Tenor 86 Sax B7 161 B d B7 B 7 A C F A e A C F A A C F A The second 105 motive, found in 106Figure 4, is related 107 to the first motive, 108 but replaces the initial quarter note with two eighth notes, resulting in a total of four eighths on a strong beat followed by a quarter note. This idea is usually built on one of the triadic or pentatonic 109 figures 110 seen below The motive begins to take shape in mm. 9-10, and is heard fully formed by m. 29 (Fig. 4) Fig. 4: Second motive Tenor 7 Sax B7 B

3 Coltrane periodically extends the eighth notes in this second motive, usually with the sequencing or juxtaposing of pentatonic and triadic melodic material. Figure 5a shows an example of the sequenced triads, while Figure 5b shows an example of the pentatonic and triadic material in tandem. b A Fig. 5 a- b 81 a. 29 (C) (C) (G) (C) (D) A 7 C Pentatonic (D) This second version is taken one step further to a third variation, wherein B7 B 7 both quarter notes are replaced with eighth notes. This would seem unrelated to the original motive if not for the fact that the first two eighth notes of each group of A C F A four eighth notes are the same pitch. The repeated pitch gives the sense of a single quarter note, referencing the sound of the original motive. This version appears in mm and mm (Fig. 6a- b) Fig. 6: Third variation of motive

4 Triads, Scales, & Arpeggios Throughout the solo Coltrane straddles the line between a modal approach and tonal approach to the blues. His first chorus begins with a modal sound, addressing the and chords of the first eight measures with Mixolydian pitch content. In the ninth bar of the first chorus, Coltrane plays up the D Mixolydian scale from the third, seamlessly connecting the improvised line to a C pentatonic (also pitches of D Mixolydian), and then returns to the first four pitches up an octave. This could be looked as V- ii- V back pedaling, or as all material. Either way, he ends the line with a second inversion G triad followed by a C pentatonic pattern (Fig. 7). Fig. 7: G triad and C pentatonic, mm This combination of triads and pentatonic scales is used liberally throughout the solo. The three triads used are G major, C major, and D major, outlining the three primary chords of the blues, and the combined the pitches of these triads account for six of the seven pitches in the home key of G. The triads are usually used in first and second inversions, which creates the interval of a fourth, resulting in a more open and modal sound. Figure 8 shows one of the longest uses of the pairing of the three triads in mm Fig. 8: G, C, and D triads

5 q= Bb Coltrane's Solo A Coltrane made ample use of the pentatonic scale throughout his career. In B this solo, it can be heard in the classic pattern (heard mostly with C- D- E- G) as well as other less obvious variations (Fig. 9). Other distant key related uses of the B7 pentatonic scale and triads are discussed later in this paper. B Fig. 9: Pentatonic variations A Tenor Sax Bb Coltrane's Solo A B7 B Bass C G&7 44 A C 7 Transcribed by Seth Carper F 7(#9) 68 A 7 A C E A A B7 B 7 7 D Bass C 7 G& A C F A C A C E A A

6 As a way of connecting his more modal and angular lines to the blues tradition, Coltrane uses diatonic scale fragments, diatonic seventh chords and the bebop B7 scale. The most B 7 commonly used scale fragment is a four note group moving from F# up to B. This is generally preceded or followed by one of the pentatonic or triadic figures already discussed (Fig. 10). Diatonic seventh chords help ground the solo in the key, and Figure 11 shows a few examples of Coltrane s use of those arpeggios. In mm Coltrane combines the C pentatonic scale with a chord, 50 resolving 51 the line with 52a G scale fragment that leads to the third of G. Each of the three devices highest pitches resolves to the next highest pitch, A- Bb- B (Fig. 12) Fig. 10: Diatonic scale fragment with pentatonic or triad figures C 7 G& C A C E A A D A A Bass Bass F 7(#9)

7 4 Fig. 11: Diatonic seventh chords Tenor Sax Take the CoLtrane T. Sax John Coltrane's 123 Solo from 124 Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Impulse! A-30 Fig. 12: mm , All three devices. 3 Tenor John Sax Tenor Coltrane's Sax Solo Composed by Duke Ellington 2 2 q=240 Composed by Duke Ellington Transcribed by Seth Carper q= Transcribed 127 by Seth 128 Carper A Coltrane uses the bebop scale in a few different instances. Each time, the scale is used as a link between some of the devices discussed above. Figure 13 Bass B7 B7 B 7 B shows some of these 134 instances Fig. 13: Bebop scale and fragments 88 B7 B A 7 A A C F A F 7(#9) B7 B7 49 B7 B A C F A C 7 23 G& C 7 G& C 7 C A A (C) (C) C E (G) C E A (C) A (D) A A 7 A 7 In the fifth chorus Coltrane makes a A 7 marked change to a bluesier sound, C Pentatonic D (G) Bb Coltrane's Solo using the G minor D pentatonic scale as a blanket over the first eight measures (Fig ). Take the CoLtrane G

8 2 Fig. 14: G minor pentatonic Substitutions Coltrane uses many of the devices mentioned above to effectively communicate his substitutions. Most of these substitutions are clearly defined, with tritone substitution in the third and fourth measures of the form before the chord progression moves to the subdominant. Out of the fourteen choruses of the solo A 7 Coltrane uses the tritone substitution before the IV six times. Each time he uses the device with a different melodic contour (Fig. 15a- f). There is a seventh use of this device at the same place in the form, mm , but this use is likely based off F#7, the tritone substitution of (Fig. 15g). Fig. 15a- b: Tritone Substitutions C 7 G&7 a B7 64 C 7 b A C E A A c B7 D B d A B7 B a few significant exceptions. The most common substitution Coltrane employs is the

9 Bass e B 7 f F 7(#9) g. Another more adventurous substitution Coltrane uses is found in mm In place of the IV- I progression usually found in blues at this point, Coltrane inserts a series of descending minor seventh chords. These function as upper extensions to the IV (Gmin7/C), III (F#min7/B) and biii (Fmin7/Bb) chords. The biii, Fmin7/Bb, resolves to the ii (Amin7) chord normally heard in the ninth measure of the blues progression. In m. 45, Coltrane also begins his line on the fifth of the Amin7 (Fig. 16a). Coltrane uses the same pattern in mm , the last measure implying an A diminished scale 2(Fig. 16b). The resolution is deceptive, however, as he moves from this point into substitutions that are even more dense. Tenor Sax Fig. 16a- b: 37 Upper extension 38 seventh chord 39 substitutions B B 7 B7 B 7 a A B7 B b The next few A C F A substitutions are difficult to analyze. It is likely that Coltrane s matrix changes are the source of some of these substitutions. Coltrane devised a C 7 G& C 7 G& C C C E A A 2 A 7

10 series of substitutions, often referred to as his matrix, that moves in alternating minor thirds and fourths. The key centers of the substitutions outline an augmented triad. For example, in place of Cmaj7- Amin7- Dmin7- - Cmaj7, Coltrane would insert Cmaj7- Eb7- Abmaj7- B7- Emaj7- - Cmaj7. The clearest example in this solo is found in mm , where Coltrane outlines part of an A pentatonic in 93 followed by an E half note, which is perhaps from a C triad, proceeding to an F pentatonic and ending with a bebop- pentatonic combination over Ab. The third of the Ab resolves to the third of the in measure 97 (Fig. 17). Fig. 17: Matrix Sub 1 A C F A The other use of this matrix substitution in mm is less clear. It 4 appears that Coltrane is implying a similar A- C- Eb- Ab root movement, but is possibly based solely 117 on the intervallic 118 relationships 119 (Fig. 18). 120 Fig. 18: 65Matrix Sub A C E A 124 A 7 D Measures provide an extended tritone substitution the, as A Coltrane uses an Ab pentatonic scale (Fig. 19), or as an A. This longer use of the Bass pentatonic sound 133 adds to the modal 134 flavor of 135 the solo Fig. 19: 138 Tritone substitution 139 Ab 140 Pentatonic F 7(#9)

11 Phrasing It is worth discussing a few points regarding Coltrane s phrasing. Many of his early musical experiences were with rhythm and blues bands, giving him a firm grounding in the AAB rhyme scheme of the blues. This can be heard clearly in the first and tenth choruses (mm and ). Even when the rhyme scheme is not explicit, Coltrane s phrasing often occurs in clear four- bar phrases. This clear phrasing helps keep reinforce the blues form, even when the implied harmony may be more adventurous. It is also interesting to note how many of the phrases described throughout this analysis begin and end on the downbeats as opposed to the syncopations of other improvisers of the era. Despite this seeming lack of syncopation, the solo swings nonetheless. This solo serves as a great bridge between Coltrane s blues tradition and his later modal explorations. Bibliography Coltrane, John. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane. Impulse! A- 30, 1963.