"Coltrane's Sound" is my favorite Trane album by far. Such beautiful music over such mind-bending changes if you're not used to them. I can't believe the strides Trane made for modern music.

Mark Turner's got a killer version of that tune also. I think it's on his self-titled album on Warner Bros... or at least it was until WB dropped him from the label. Along with most of their other jazz artists. Like a bunch of chumps. Way to support the arts, guys.

 

Humbling indeed. You need big ears. Bassist Charles Fambrough and I would spend whole days many years ago shedding 26-2. Those were some good times. Inner Urge is another tune we would agonize over for weeks at a time. Another tune which did not have a turbulent melody, but had a lot of changes was "I'm All Smiles". For some reason, these three tunes are grouped together in my head.

 

Try Ravi Coltranes Version he drops a 9/8 bar in their every so often just to keep it MORE interesting!! I'm (STILL) working on this but suggest shedding the chords one by one (fermata practice - not sure if u guys know bout this one some guy in college was always going on about it but it may of just been him!).........then slowly work thru

 

Dan, I think Jerry Coker coined this phrase (Fermata) at least he says so in his "How to Practice Jazz" book.

 

26-2, Coltrane changes

26-2 is indeed a but kicker but learning any tune with Coltrane changes is difficult. This tune like many of the other ones that he wrote with kind of harmony (except Giant Steps) is a reharmonization of of another tune.
For example "Countdown" is a reharm of Miles' "Tune Up" and "26-2" is a reharm of Bird's "Confirmation. I did some research on Coltrane Changes in grad school and found out that he had actually written another tune called "Sweet Sioux" which was a Coltrane Changes reharm of
"Cherokee" but to my knowledge it was never recorded.
For help on working on Coltrane changes check out the book Coltrane-A Players Guide to His Harmony by Walt Weiskpof and Ramon Ricker. This book discusses Coltrane changes in detail and has excersises for becoming comfortable with this harmony. You can Order it from Jamey Aebersold at jazzbooks.com it costs $8.95 American.
I hope this information is helpful.

Chris

 

I love 26-2, because it uses the AABA form. Giant Step, and Countdown,are the same 16 bars, over, and over. PLUS, the beginning of the bridge, has the most brilliant substitutions, ever! A masterpiece, on Bird's Confirmation!

 

"Satellite" is "How High the Moon" with Coltrane Changes. Check out his bridge to "Body and Soul," too. Not to mention "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes." All great tunes to begin with. Traneified, they're terrifyingly cool.

 

Another one of these sorts of tunes is "Seven Steps to Heaven". On the Miles recording "Seven Steps to Heaven"...it's awesome to hear Herbie just eat those changes up on piano. What a master!! That's a tune it would be neat to hear someone like Charles McPherson or Eric Alexander blow over...

 

"Here's that Rainy Day" must have given the Coltrane the idea for his changes. As Coltrane Changes are just an extrapolation of the first three chords of Rainy Day. He just cycles it and double times it until it gets back to tonic within four bars, rather than taking a full eight and getting there via ii-V-I.

It is cool though and I have been practicing the changes myself, but it doesn't come out in my improv yet. None of the good stuff I practice ever comes out.

 

Trane Changes

Check out the bridge to "Have you Met Miss Jones" this tune written well before "Giant Steps" has a bridge that is the same as the last eight bars of "Giant Steps", just in a different key. This tune probably also inspired Trane's harmonic ideas.

I think that Trane also used these changes to Reharmonize "But Not For Me"

Chris

 

What do these numbers (26-2) mean?

 

What do these numbers (26-2) mean?

It was the 2nd tune recorded on the 26th ( of October)