"Moment's Notice" is one of the most demanding compositions from John Coltrane's 1957 album Blue Trane, built on a rapidly moving harmonic sequence in the unusual AA' form of 38 bars. The tune's chord progression, with its succession of ii-V patterns moving through multiple key centers, would become one of the cornerstones of jazz education, a required test of any aspiring musician's harmonic fluency. Coltrane opens with three choruses of tenor saxophone that set the standard for navigating these complex changes at approximately 248 beats per minute, his running eighth-note lines tracing the harmonic movement with breathtaking precision. Curtis Fuller contributes three choruses of trombone improvisation that maintain the musical intensity despite the daunting harmonic demands of the form. Lee Morgan's three trumpet choruses display the fearless virtuosity that had already made him a star at just nineteen years of age. Paul Chambers delivers a single bass chorus that demonstrates his ability to outline complex harmonic progressions with melodic coherence. Kenny Drew closes with two choruses of piano that navigate the challenging chord changes with fluency and grace. The composition's title aptly describes the experience of performing it, as the rapidly shifting harmonies demand that musicians make instantaneous decisions at every turn, leaving no room for hesitation or formula.
