John Coltrane My Favourite Things

9/10 gbar Customer review, 8th May 2017

On My Favourite Things, John Coltrane chose to break away from the timeless hard bop of his earlier works and opted to create a jazz masterpiece. This record including only cover versions of pop standards and showtunes, but don't let this put you off, because Coltrane uses this as a starting point for his explorations into modal soundscapes. The first half of the LP sees John Coltrane come over all 'Sound of Music' on the classic title track, complete with brilliant sax work courtesy of Coltrane and again on the gentle "Everytime We Say Goodbye", and the B-side includes two Gershwin tunes that have been adapted into groovy, hard-bop songs: Coltrane approached Ornette Coleman territory on "Summertime", and "But Not For Me" harks back to his hard-bop beginnings. My Favourite Things was a manifestation of John Coltrane's abilities, and proved that he can create an album that is challenging enough to attract those who are into his mid-60's avant-garde period.