John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - My One And Only Love. Back to its Roots.

The collaboration of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman might easily make my top 10 jazz albums. If I need to relax, this is the one to put on.

What makes it so mellow? The rich baritone and calm sax are a big part, but I believe the answer is in the rhythm section. For jazz musicians, My One And Only Love is standard repertoire and, while I might be a little tired of playing it, I never tire of the Coltrane/Hartman recording. So I put on my headphones to try to see what made that version So Great.

The answer is in the bass, as it often is. Most musicians learn this song from The Real Book, which looks like this:

Note the crowded walk-down in the first measure. It's a nice contrast to the ascending melody, but also maybe a little busy; it seems to distract from the melody a bit. There's also a series of inverted chords in the following measures. There's nothing wrong with them, but I feel that maybe it sounds a bit too clever for the subject matter.

The Coltrane/Hartman version uses far fewer chords, with a more straightforward I-vi-ii-V in the first two measures. As I listened I realized that not only were the chords simpler, but the bassist never plays an inversion. This is unusual for jazz bassists. Every chord is in root position, except for the short pedal in between the sax and the vocal sections. I don't think I've ever heard another bassist give the song that treatment. It was clearly something Jimmy Garrison was doing deliberately. 

I also enjoy that they use the raising 5th progression in the bridge, versus the descending 7th that always seems to clash with the melody. It is refreshing to find new ways to play old songs, so for those interested, below are the Coltrane chords to My One And Only Love. I tried to use simple chords rather than McCoy's thicker voicings and alterations, so look to the recording if you want to build on it*.

Get the PDF here.

* A few hints on McCoy's voicings: he plays an A13 on the second chord, plays a 13(#11) on the D7 chords (upper structure, think guide tones in the left hand, E triad in the right) and usually alters the B7 in the bridge. (again, upper structure - try guide tones in the left hand, F or G triads in the right)