Style:

Typically played as an up tempo swing.

Form:

A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Arrangements:

A brief tag ending is often included on the way out which revolves around Dmi.

Key:

D minor

Harmony/Overview:

A modal tune based on the changes of Miles Davis' "So What". Whether a conscious decision or not, the melody is borrowed from Martin Gould's Pavanne Symphony No. 2.

Recordings:

This  tune has been recorded hundreds of times and is one of the most popular and well known modal compositions in the repertoire. The first recording comes from a 1961 performance live at the Village Vanguard which was released on Coltrane's 1963 album Impressions. Coltrane would only record this composition in the studio on two separate occasions, the takes of which were released on the posthumous Both Directions at Once. There are many recordings that exist of Coltrane's classic quartet  performing this tune live and it continues to be performed by many contemporary musicians.

JGC Top Picks:

John Coltrane, Newport '63, 1963

Wes Montgomery & Wynton Kelly Trio, Smokin' at the Half Note, 1965

McCoy Tyner, Infinity, 1995