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John Coltrane's tenor saxophone solo opens the improvisation on Hank Mobley's "Bob's Boys" from the 1956 Tenor Conclave album. He takes five choruses of the 12-bar blues form at 202 BPM in F, the longest saxophone statement on the track and an indication of the commanding blues presence he was developing. At 29 to 30, Coltrane's extended blues solo demonstrates his ability to sustain creative invention across multiple choruses, building ideas with the motivic development that would become a hallmark of his mature style. He is the first of six soloists, followed by Al Cohn, Hank Mobley, Zoot Sims, Red Garland, and Paul Chambers.
John Coltrane was 29 to 30 years old at the time.
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