John Coltrane
Tenor Sax Solo on
Little Old Lady

About

John Coltrane's tenor sax solo is the last of three solos on this recording, following Paul Chambers on acoustic bass. Spanning one chorus of the 32-bar AABA form in E♭ at a driving 185 BPM with a swing feel, Coltrane's approach here is still rooted in bebop vocabulary but already hints at the harmonic explorations that would define his later work. Coltrane's tenor saxophone work reflects a balance of technical fluency and melodic storytelling, building intensity through the course of the improvisation.

John Coltrane was 32 to 33 years old at the time.